Dreams, Devotion, and Fulfilling Forever
by mistylee
Summary: Several changes are about to occur in the Witter family. Some full of joy, others heartbreak. Will they make the right decisions? Or face the harsh realities of making the wrong ones? ...Sequel to 'From Here to Eternity'...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here is the sequel to "From Here to Eternity." I hope you enjoy and reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading!**

**-Chapter One-**

The sweet smells of cinnamon, ginger, and sugar cookies filled the large six-bedroom house, where the family Witter was currently resided. A crisp scent from the small fire, burning in the hearth, slowly wafted out the chimney and into the senses of the two men working on the Christmas lights outside. The sun was slowly receding behind the glistening snow on the ground as the nights were getting longer and the days much shorter.

Inside the home, one girl and one boy sat amongst the various bulbs, tinsel, and Christmas lights as a tall brunette with long hair, set up holiday decorations inside. A bare Christmas tree was placed strategically in the corner of the living room, by the hearth. The sounds of Nat King Cole filled the atmosphere with a wide range of his holiday hits along with the crackles and pops from the burning wood in the hearth.

Josephine Witter was busy stringing gold lights on the full tree as three-year-old Aimee Lindley sifted through the colorful decorations that she thought would look pretty on the tree. Eleven-month old Keegan Witter, with his shaggy brown hair and big blue eyes, was chattering away, grabbing fistfuls of wrapping paper and bows that were leftover from the previous years. He loved the way the paper would crinkle and tear- perfecting the ways in which one opens a Christmas gift.

Joey was just about ready to enlist the help of her niece and little boy when there was a loud crash from outside. Glass shattering and a thunderous pop against the side of the house made her jump back in surprise. She looked down in time to see Keegan's wide eyes look from his mother to his cousin and back to his mother again. His bottom lip started trembling just as Aimee stood up to look outside.

"Oh Keegan," Joey said with a smile, lifting him into her arms and onto her hip. She brushed back his long wavy hair and cooed, "Is Daddy making a mess again?"

Keegan's lip stopped trembling with the mention of "Daddy" and a luminous grin appeared on his face. "Daa-da!" he replied fondly, looking towards the door where he knew his father was.

Aimee stood on her tip-toes as she looked out the window to see what all the commotion was about. She looked back at her aunt with worried eyes and exclaimed, "Aunt Jojo… Unca Pacey killed Sanna and Papa Potter is trying to save him."

Joey smiled suspiciously at her niece and repeated, "Uncle Pacey killed Santa?" She could only imagine the meaning to such a statement and decided to get her shoes in case they needed help outside.

Aimee nodded and turned to look back outside where Mike was trying hard to piece together the broken Santa light as Pacey scrambled to sweep up the shattered glass.

Joey turned to her little boy who was pointing to the door excitedly, "Momma, see Daa-da! see Daa-da!"

"Shall we go see Daddy?" she asked, excitedly. When Keegan smiled and tried to nod, she went to the closet to get out his little blue jacket and Aimee's pink coat. "Curly get your shoes, let's go see if we can help Grandpa Potter revive Santa."

Aimee smiled and ran to the front door to put on her pink snow boots. "I bet Unca Pacey's gonna get coal from Sanna this year!"

Joey zipped up Keegan's jacket and put on his large hood, effectively making him look like a little blue marshmallow. "Well your uncle has been rather naughty this year," she teased as she handed Aimee her pink coat.

As soon as they were all bundled up, Joey carried Keegan outside with Aimee trailing her with her small hand on her hip.

Mike stood in the middle of the yard, trying to glue the plastic Santa's arm back into his socket, while Pacey continued to sweep up the colored glass which was scattered all over the snow.

"Unca Pacey!" Aimee shouted, making him look up from his cleaning. "You killed Sanna Clause!"

Pacey smiled and set the broom down by the house. "Well he was trying to climb our chimney, Aims," he replied with a mischievous wink to Joey. "What was I supposed to do? Let him come down the chimney?"

"YES!" the little blonde replied with fervor. "He needs to come down the chimney so he can give us our presents for Christmas!"

Pacey smirked, getting a kick out of watching Aimee defend the honor of old Saint Nick. "But how is he going to get up there? Joey's old ladder is still at the Leery's."

Aimee squinted her eyes as she thought about an answer. A bright smile filled her features as she recalled exactly what she was thinking, "Reindeer, Unca Pacey! Reindeer! They fly to the roof!"

Pacey smiled and tromped through the thick snow to pick up his curly-haired niece. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, but her beautiful blue eyes were gleaming with joy. He gently lifted her into his arms and backed away from the house, so they could get a better view of the roof.

"You mean like those reindeer, Aims?" he asked with a clever grin, pointing to several plastic reindeer and slay on the roof. The light set was close to the chimney and all that was missing was Santa Clause – who was currently being glued back together via Mike.

"Wow, Unca Pacey," Aimee said in surprise. "Is that Rudolph?" she asked with big eyes, pointing to the first reindeer with a bright red nose.

Joey stomped through the snow, still holding Keegan safely in her arms, to examine the decorations her husband and father had set up on the house.

"Yeah Aims," he answered, proudly, "That's Rudolph, guiding the sleigh for Santa. Do you like it?"

Aimee smiled and wrapped her little arms around Pacey's neck to give him a hug, "It's pretty."

Joey stood by Pacey and Aimee and examined the lights in front of her. Large colored bulbs lined the angular roof with small gold lights tracing the windows. A "Merry Christmas" light hung between the two large windows in the front while a large reef, with a bright red bow, hung on the front door.

"Ah-ha!" Mike exclaimed with a smile, holding up the newly remodeled Santa Clause for the family to see. "He's all better now."

"Papa Potter fixed Sanna Clause!" Aimee exclaimed excitedly, pointing to Mike over Pacey's shoulder.

Keegan started to squeal excitedly as Mike moved closer saying, "Papa! Papa!"

Mike smiled and took his squealing grandson from his daughter and lifted him in the air, "How's my boy doing, today?"

Keegan's grin spread joyfully as his grandfather lifted him high into the air.

Pacey was too busy watching his son with his grandfather to notice his wife wad up a large, round snowball.

Aimee, who was clinging to Pacey's neck shouted, "Unca Pacey! Unca Pacey! Watch out!"

Pacey turned around just in time to be hit, square in the chest, with a large cold snowball. Joey smiled victoriously and knelt down to form her next missile as Aimee laughed hysterically.

"Aims?" he exclaimed, feigning shock. "Who side are you on here? Your favorite – and rather charming – uncle Pacey or your traitor aunt Jojo's?"

Aimee continued to laugh as Joey hit him once again with a large snowball – only this time the cold snow grazed the side of his head - and Pacey figured he had his answer. "So that's the way it's going to be, eh?" he asked as he began to tickle the little blonde ruthlessly in retaliation.

"Jojo! Jojo!" Aimee squealed through her laughter, squirming chaotically in her uncle's embrace. "Help me, Aunt Jo!"

"I'm coming, Curly," Joey shouted playfully, working her way through the snow.

Pacey was surprised when she literally tackled him, making him fall back into the snow with Aimee sandwiched between them.

Joey smirked as she lifted Aimee off of her husband. She made sure the little darling was a safe distance back when she grabbed a handful of snow and covered Pacey with it. "I told you I could take you down, Pace."

Pacey covered his face as she continued to bury him in the snow. Once he finally had enough, he grabbed her by the waist and easily rolled her over so now he was on top.

"Dad-da!" Keegan cheered merrily, bouncing in his grandfather's arms. Mike laughed and walked over to the two adults wrestling around in the snow.

He gingerly placed Keegan on Pacey's shoulders and he stopped tackling Joey immediately. "Hey, little man," Pacey teased, reaching behind his neck to help steady the baby. "Come to help your Pop get Mommy?"

Keegan giggled and took some snow off of Pacey's head and threw it down on Joey, who was still lying underneath Pacey.

"Hey!" Joey said in mock disgust, wiping the small amount of snow off her face, "I'll get you for that, Ry!"

"Here Aunt Jojo!" Aimee exclaimed excitedly, holding a handful of the loose powder in her pink mittens. "I've got some snow!"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Joey stood in the kitchen making some hot coffee and a warm bottle when her father came in to say his goodbyes. It was dark outside and way past Keegan's bedtime, but really after the beautiful day they had, that didn't seem to matter.

"Hey Sweetheart, I think Aimee and I are going to head out," he said softly, holding a tuckered out three-year-old in his arms. She was sleeping under one of Keegan's blue blankets and was snuggled into the crook of Mike's neck. "I promised Jack and Doug I'd drop her off on my way home."

Joey smiled and walked over to place a kiss on the little beauty's rosy cheek. "Bye-bye my little curly-girl," she whispered softly, moving the long curls away from her face.

She then looked up, into the old eyes that mirrored her own and said, "Thanks for coming, Dad. You're coming back for Christmas Eve dinner, right?"

"I wouldn't miss my grandson's birthday for the world," he replied with a bright smile. "Goodnight Sweetheart," he whispered against Joey's forehead, placing a gentle kiss 'goodbye' up there. "And make sure you take an extra blanket out to Pacey and my grandson. I don't want them catching a cold."

Joey turned to look out the back window where she could see the dark silhouette of her husband, sitting on the edge of the dock, looking out at the beautiful water on the creek. It was something Pacey had become accustomed to doing late at night, whenever he wanted to feel comfort. It was over the past summer that he started included Keegan on these late night soothing sessions by the water. She figured it was his way of sharing something he loved with his son, because he could never get enough of that water.

Even though it was cold, probably too cold for a baby, she didn't say much to protest. After all, Pacey would never endanger their son or risk him getting sick. She trusted him completely. If he felt it was okay to sit out on the edge of the dock tonight, then it was probably okay.

However, tonight it was extra crisp outside, so bringing out an extra blanket, some hot coffee, and a warm bottle couldn't hurt. "I will Daddy, don't worry. Drive safely."

"I will," he replied, just before he disappeared behind the front door.

She then looked back at the counter where the coffee was full and the bottle was warm. She poured two steaming mugs full of the dark liquid, grabbed a blanket and the bottle, and headed out the back door.

As she walked down the dark path of cleared snow, to the dock by the creek, she heard Keegan chattering softly with his daddy. "Fiss- Fiss," he tried to say, pointing his little finger towards the water.

"Yes, my son," Pacey answered in a warm tone, "We're going to go ice fishing when you get older and catch lots of fish. Just like we did this summer. Remember _Mathew_, Keegan? And _Sophie_? Remember our fishing trip on _Devotion_?"

Keegan's ocean-blue eyes reflected the bright moon as he answered, "Bo, bo-at."

"Right," he exclaimed excitedly, "On our _boat_."

Joey walked up from behind them, still hold the large blanket, two mugs of coffee and a warm bottle. "Is this a private party or can a lady join you two handsome men tonight?"

Pacey smiled and looked up. He took his mug of coffee and then looked down at Keegan, "What do you say, Ry? Should we let Mommy join us?"

Keegan smiled and exposed his two bottom teeth as he exclaimed excitedly, "Momma, bah-bah!"

Pacey chuckled softly as Joey sat down beside him. He handed over the miniature version of himself and said, "Well, I believe the man's hungry and wants his bottle."

Joey smirked and wrapped the thick blanket around her son more securely as she cradled him in her arms so she could feed him. "I figured he would be getting hungry," she replied softly as she gazed down at her baby boy. He started sucking on the bottle greedily as Pacey took the extra blanket and wrapped it around Joey and their son.

"So has the letter come yet?" Pacey asked softly, watching in awe of Keegan and Joey as she fed him.

"No," Joey replied just as softly, with a tinge of disappointment in her voice. "I don't think they liked it Pace… I really should have just kept it to myself."

Pacey moved some of Joey's long hair, away from her cheek and answered, "It was beautiful, Jo, and it would have been a crime to keep something like that to yourself. I'm so proud of you and Wesley couldn't wait to get his hands on it, remember?"

Joey smiled, appreciating his optimism and confidence, but nevertheless couldn't help but feel disappointed. In spite of all the positive feedback she had initially received, it had been _months_ since she had heard anything. Several agonizing months of waiting and waiting. They told her she would have an answer by the end of December and each day that came closer to that date, only made her hope diminish more and more.

"I just think I need to move on, Pace," she answered softly. "I mean, look around us. I have everything I could ever dream of having and more. So why do I let something as silly as a letter take that joy out of my life?"

Pacey brought her closer to his chest as he held her tight, "Because you're a dreamer, Jo. You always have been and I intend on watching as all your dreams come true. Like I told you last night, these doors are just opening up for you; for _us_. Just you wait Jo. We're going to wake up one day and find that everything is different; _better_ even."

Joey sighed and looked down at the sleeping angel in her arms, barely sucking on his bottle anymore. She took the bottle out of his mouth and covered his face with the blanket, shielding him from the cold.

She looked up at the beautiful stars shimmering in the sky before turning to look into the eyes of her husband. She leaned in to give him a warm, tender kiss before answering softly, "That's what I'm afraid of, Pace."

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so it's been almost a month since the last update, and I feel awful about it! I will not let this story go so long without an update again. I hope you haven't forgotten about this! And thank you so much for the great reviews! They were very, VERY inspiring. As always, I love to read your opinions. Thanks for reading! **

**-Chapter Two-**

_Christmas Eve_

Pacey smiled, barely waking from an incredible sleep, as he realized he was lying on Joey's pillow. And not just lying on it, but sharing it with her. He tightened the grip he had around her waist and inhaled the lavender scent that lingered in her hair from the shampoo. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck and began to place soft, subtle kisses on the velvet skin underneath.

"Pacey," she murmured, groggily. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he replied innocently, letting his kisses drift to her cheek. He absolutely loved to feel her soft, smooth skin against his lips; taking in her scent and appreciating her body. He felt her smile as he made a quick stop at the sensitive spot behind her ear, before moving on to her lips.

"Pacey…"

"Yes, Mrs. Witter?" he replied in a whispered tone that made her shiver.

"Keegan's going to wake up soon," she answered in a warning tone, but doing nothing to stop his morning lovin'. "And then my dad's coming over at ten, as well as Gretchen and Anne with the kids at noon, so I-"

"-Guess we'll have to be quick," he finished for her with a naughty sparkle in his eyes, letting his hands move up and down the sides of her body in worship.

She glared at him for a moment, upset that he would throw off their already time consumed morning with a rendezvous under the sheets, but she quickly forgave him when he murmured the sweet nothings in her ear that she could never resist. The kind that made her give into his desires every time.

But before things could become too heated, Keegan's cries filled the romantic room with the wails from the baby monitor. They both froze instantly, half caught up in the passion between them and partly eager to care for their son.

Joey closed her eyes and sighed, "I'll get him."

Pacey smiled as he looked down at her. He knew she was already stressed about the time constraint for Keegan's birthday party at noon and the Christmas Eve dinner at eight, so he gave her a quick peck on the tip of her nose and replied, "Take your shower, Jo. I'll go get him his bottle."

Joey opened her eyes and smiled, "Thanks Pace."

He watched her climb out of bed and admired the way her hips swayed gracefully as she moved to the closet in search of some clothes.

Another wail from Keegan broke his trance and he threw the covers off of him muttering, "I'm coming Ry… I'm coming."

When he entered the nursery, Keegan was standing up and holding the bars with his little chubby fists, waiting to be released from his small prison. His cheeks were bright red and tear stained, while his wavy brown hair stuck up at odd ends. His soft blue pajamas were hugging him tightly as he held out his arms, declaring, "Dad-da, I wan-out. I wan-out!"

"You want out, huh?" he asked merrily as he lifted the small boy into his arms. "You know, we still have to work on this whole sharing mommy thing. I know she's absolutely irresistible, but your pop wants some time with that beautiful woman too… kapeesh?"

Keegan's big blue eyes looked up at his father in wonder before he finally smiled.

"Well happy birthday little buddy!" he declared in a cheery voice that made Keegan's smile expand. "Are you ready for your birthday party today?"

Keegan started to laugh when Pacey began tickling his sides, revealing his two bottom teeth. He laughed until Pacey laid him down on the changing table to take care of all the necessities before giving him his bottle.

As Pacey carried the little man into the kitchen, he thought about what it would be like to have another baby. He had never really thought about how many children he wanted, it was just something he figured would happen or wouldn't happen. And Keegan was really an unplanned miracle – in more ways than one.

But now, gazing at his chocolate-haired son, who always seemed to study his every move and look at him with such admiration, he was intrigued with the idea of having more children with Joey; to have more children he could love as much as he loved his son.

They really hadn't discussed the idea of having more children; at least not since the day Keegan was born. And even then he had a feeling Joey was serious about not wanting anymore children and that broke his heart… More than he would ever admit.

But at least he had Keegan. The little one-year old with a milk mustache and blue sailboat pajamas who was currently pointing to a box of cheerios in the cupboard as he drank from his bottle greedily. The little man definitely had a hearty appetite.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The birthday party was a success with Keegan showing off his skills as a great present opener, while Connor, Gretchen's son, showed his mastery skills in the art of placing all the bows on top of his head.

As the two boys wrestled around in all the paper and boxes, Aimee was fascinated with the real live doll that was 5 month old Kelsey Anne Leery, Dawson and Anne's daughter. She had a small red bow in her short blonde hair, which matched the red and black lace dress she was wearing.

Kelsey didn't seem to like her dress as she kept lifting it, trying to take it off. Three-year-old Aimee sat by her side, trying to hold the dress on her.

Soon, baby Kelsey started to cry, which caught both Connor and Keegan's attention and then Connor started to cry. Aimee's eyes got wide as she looked at the two crying babies and her bottom lip began to tremble.

Keegan, who had been watching all of this madness unfold, decided to take matters into his own hands and crawled over to Aimee and Kelsey and give them the shiny wrapping paper he had been playing with. Kelsey saw the bright silver paper and immediately stopped crying. She grabbed the wrapping paper happily and started crinkling it in her hands, enjoying the sounds it made.

Watching Kelsey stop crying made Aimee relax. She looked up at her aunt Joey, who had come out of the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about, and said, "Aunt Jojo, Keegie made the baby stop crying."

Joey raised an eyebrow at her son, whose lop-sided smile was wide while his blue eyes reflected the gold lights from the Christmas tree.

"My little man saved the day, huh?" she teased as Keegan looked up at his mother. Joey lifted the birthday boy up into her arms and carried him into the kitchen where the adults where attempting to fix Christmas Eve dinner.

"Is everything alright?" Pacey asked as he was chopping up the seasonings for the mashed potatoes. Bessie and Anne were currently on peeling duty as Bodie worked on the ham.

"Yeah, I'm just going to grab them a snack" she replied as Keegan started squealing for his "Papa" or Grandpa Mike.

Mike entered the room and took his grandson with gentle hands. "Hey, little man. Are the smells from the kitchen making your tummy grumble too?"

Keegan smiled and pointed to the peeled potatoes, "tatos!"

"Yeah, those mashed potatoes are looking pretty appetizing…" Mike agreed. "So Pacey, why don't you take my grandson and start the kids with the rest of the presents and let me take over your duty as chef."

Pacey stopped chopping and looked at his father-in-law suspiciously, "I'm fine Mr. Potter… I can do this."

Mike shook his head and handed Keegan to his father, "I insist, son."

Pacey looked at Joey and shrugged, "Okay… thanks, Mr. Potter."

Joey gave her father a suspicious look as he took the large knife and started chopping.

"Go on you two," Mike declared, waving his knife for emphasis. "It's Keegan's first Christmas Eve as well as his first birthday. You should enjoy it."

Pacey studied Joey for a moment, then put his hand on her back and nudged her into the living room, "Come on, Jo… you heard the man..."

Before Joey left the kitchen with Pacey, she looked back at her father and caught a subtle wink from him. He had changed a lot since moving to Capeside. He seemed genuinely happy for the first time in his life and it really showed in his face where there seemed to be an extra shimmer in his soft, brown eyes. He was doing really well for himself, helping out Bessie and Bodie at the B&B, for extra money. He had an apartment now and was really doing well. He was being a real father and grandfather for the first time in his life and it felt good. Her family finally seemed to be complete…

Now, she just hoped that the letter she received in the mail today, would keep their family together and happy. She hadn't opened it yet, since she wanted to wait until tonight to open it with Pacey. That way, they could read her destiny together.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

It was getting late on this Christmas Eve night. Pacey was currently trapped on the floor with 3 babies and a toddler tackling him to the ground. Aimee was trying to wrap up Pacey's legs with the extra wrapping paper, while Keegan and Connor were decorating his face with bows and tape.

It was unclear how Pacey got into that position exactly… It could've been when Aimee asked for help unwrapping her last Christmas gift… or maybe it was the extra wine he had over dinner that made him a little goofy. But nonetheless, they were all enjoying themselves – Pacey probably having the most fun of them all.

"Unca Pacey, hold still!" Aimee instructed as she continued to wrap the paper around his feet with little cooperation.

Keegan was jabbering away as he placed the bows on his father's wavy chestnut hair, and at times squealing, "Dadaaa silleee!" which would provoke Pacey to tackle his son and nephew who were constantly trying to climb onto his shoulders as if he were a great mountain.

But before Pacey could get any more tangled up by the boisterous babies, Gretchen, Dawson, and Jack decided it was time to go. After all, they would meet up again at the Leery's house for Christmas dinner tomorrow. And they still had their evening Christmas Eve rituals to finish before the stroke of midnight – Pacey and Joey included.

When the guests finally left and Pacey was doing the dishes, Joey decided to get Keegan ready for bed. Tonight would not be a problem to put the little mischief maker down, for he could barely keep his big blue eyes open.

As Joey carried Keegan into the nursery, Pacey made a decision. He wanted to have another baby with her. Maybe it was the holidays putting him in the mood for more children, but the thought of another little Keegan – or even a miniature Joey – made his heart warm up.

He towel dried the last piece of china and met Joey at the door of the nursery. He quickly took a peek into the crib where Keegan was out cold. His dark eyelashes were glued to his cheeks and his tongue was barely visible through his two bottom teeth. His chest rose and fell in the kind of calm that would make any parent feel warm inside. He looked like the perfect piece of heaven.

Pacey smiled and took Joey's hand as he whispered, "We need to talk."

Joey looked at him eerily, but followed him out of the nursery anyways.

Quietly, he shut the door when both parents were out of the room, and guided her to the living room where a beautiful fire was ablaze in the hearth. The full Christmas tree was gleaming bright, in the corner of the room, with the gold lights and colored bulbs that were decorated all around it. The shiny star, that Pacey had helped Aimee put on top of the tree, was still shining bright, along with a few more Christmas presents Keegan would discover from Santa in the morning.

"What's going on Pace?" Joey asked in an alarmed voice as she sat on the small red sofa beside him.

He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close as he began, "Jo I need to talk to you about something. It's really important and I want you to be completely honest with me…"

Immediately, Joey tensed and looked away, appearing to be preoccupied in thought. This was not the reaction Pacey was hoping for.

"What? What's wrong Jo?" he asked as he tucked away a strand of her long chocolate hair behind her ear. She didn't look like she felt good.

Joey sighed, "I have to tell you something too, Pace."

Her face became white and Pacey was growing more concerned. "What is it, Joey? What's wrong?"

Joey took a deep breath and looked at him nervously, "You first."

Pacey chuckled softly – and rather anxiously – as he was suddenly concerned about what she had to tell him. But he knew her well enough to know that she was better at the "you first" game than he was. So with a little courage, he blurted it out.

"Let's have another baby, Jo."

Joey raised an eyebrow in surprise. Apparently that was not at all what she thought he was going to say.

"Oh…" she replied simply, when the shock of what he had just said wore off.

"But before we get into that," he quickly intervened, before she could press the matter further, "What is it you have to tell me?"

Joey's face became pale again as she looked down and shuffled with the pockets in her jeans.

Pacey watched her closely as she pulled out a long, but folded envelope. He knew exactly what it was and whispered, "Is that-"

Joey nodded, "I got my letter today, Pacey."

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	3. Chapter 3

**-Chapter Three-**

Pacey looked down at the beige envelope in Joey's hands, which was crinkled and ripped open at the seal. He slowly glanced up, to look into her eyes, searching for any answers as to why she was suddenly trying to fight back the tears. She was chewing on her bottom lip and he could tell she was disappointed. All he wanted to do in that moment was take away her pain and the grief she must be feeling from what was written inside that letter.

"Oh Jo," he said softly, putting his arm around her and bringing her close to his chest. He kissed the top of her forehead and whispered, "We can always send your transcript to another publishing company."

Joey began to shake her head as Pacey continued.

"We just have to find the right company Jo… You'll see… You can do this-"

"-It's not _that_, Pace," she interrupted, taking the letter out of the envelope and handing it to him. "I wanted to wait and open it with you, but I got impatient."

Pacey took the letter carefully and unfolded it. The words just seemed to jump out at him - captivating his attention - as he held his breath in hope.

_Dear Mrs. __Josephine L. __Witter,_

_After reviewing th__e transcript of your novel __titled, "Simple Comforts from Above," it is with great pleasure that __the Tree __House Publishing Co.__ offer you __a contract to publish your works__ within the next year._

A flood of excitement welled up in Pacey as he read the first sentence. He couldn't believe it! Joey – his wife – was going to have her book published! He couldn't read any further as the words seemed to become blurred with this incredible news.

"Joey! This is great!" he exclaimed with fervor, standing up and taking her with him. He lifted her up off the ground and twirled her around the room. "You did it, Jo! They're going to publish your book!"

Joey gave a half-hearted smile as he gently set her back down. He could tell she was holding back.

"What's wrong? You did it, Sweetheart! You should be _ecstatic_ right now!"

Joey shook her head, "You didn't read the _whole_ letter, Pace…"

He immediately glanced back down at the letter he had so hastily tossed aside. He quickly picked it up and started reading where he had left off.

_In extension to the contract__ we would also like to offer you an invitation to be included in our upcoming Book Tour. __We, at __Tree House Publishing Co., feel that this tour is a vital__ part to your success as an author. T__herefore, if for__ any reason you __should not be able to join our tour – come this __June__ 30 -__ please__ contact us as soon as possible. _

_We have arranged for a car to pick you up on the 27__th__ of December, to take you to your new apartment in New York. While there, we will prepare you for the upcoming tour and brief you on what is__ to be expected._

_This is a rare occurrence__ here at Tree House, but we feel that your creative writing abilities, as well as your experience, will make you a great a__sset to the Tree House__ family._

He looked over the words in the letter a few more times, trying to understand what was upsetting her, but was drawing a blank.

"Jo, I don't understand," he admitted after a few minutes in awkward silence. "Why are you upset by this? They clearly love your transcript, so what's bothering you?"

Joey folded her arms over the flat surface of her stomach and answered, "I leave on the 27th, Pace. I have to move back to New York."

Pacey felt a sharp sting in his heart with the words, 'move back to New York.' He had read that part in the letter, but just assumed that they didn't realize she had a family… that she was a wife and mother. Surely there was a mistake somewhere. They couldn't _really_ expect her to move away from her family and friends - and especially since writing was such a versatile career.

"Well, can't you just tell them you'll commute back and forth?" he asked logically, folding the letter back up and setting it aside. "I mean, sure we won't see you as often, but to _move_…"

"I know Pacey," she agreed, nodding slowly and moving to sit on the couch. She pulled the pillow close to her chest for comfort as she explained, "I already contacted this _Levy Trenton_ guy – the man who is offering this contract - and told him I couldn't live there. I have my family here, but he wasn't happy."

"What do you mean?" Pacey replied with a tinge of annoyance. Who was this guy to tell Joey where she had to live?

"Well, he said that things are going to move so quickly with this book, that they need me to be close. Plus, I'm supposed to 'follow' one of the writers on a tour right now – to get the 'feel of it'…"

Pacey was in shock. Firstly, by the fact that she had been offered a contract, and secondly that she would have to move to New York in order to sign it.

"He offered to move you and Keegan out to New York as well," she muttered with hesitation, looking down at the rectangular rug in front of the fire.

"But I can't with the-"

"-restaurant," she nodded, completing his thought. "I know, Pace."

Joey chewed on her bottom lip again and appeared extremely uncomfortable as she brought her knees up to her chest. "And according to Trenton," she quickly added, "this contract is a 'take it or leave' it deal. Either I move out to New York and go on the book tour, or it's no deal."

Pacey sighed in a mixture of frustration and disappointment. He took a seat across from her in the brown rocker and just thought.

As they sat in silence on this Christmas Eve night, only a few crackles and pops from the fire seemed to ease their tension. Joey looked more disappointed than Pacey had ever remembered seeing her and it hurt.

This was her chance - her opportunity to accomplish her dreams. Yet it came with a price – a very _hefty_ price. And not just for her, but for him and Keegan as well. If it was just him and Joey, he wouldn't hesitate one second to move back to New York. But now with Keegan, everything seemed to be more complicated than it once was. They wanted him to grow up around his family – even if one side was a bit deceitful.

"I can try to call Lucy tomorrow and see about finding another contract," Joey said softly, breaking the silence. "I mean, if my transcript really is any good, surely another company will want to publish it."

Pacey said nothing in reply. He just stared at the coffee table in front of him and tried to figure out what the best thing to do was… what was best for his family. He wasn't against the idea of looking for another contract, but he just wanted to think carefully about the contract that was being offered before they threw it aside.

Joey however, mistook his silence for anger and quickly got up and walked out of the room. It wasn't until he heard the door shut to their bedroom that he realized she was upset.

He quickly glanced over at the Christmas tree, that was still lit up with gold lights and protecting the mountain of presents underneath, as he got up to continue their conversation in the bedroom. The large red stocking that was hung by a nail on the mantle, just above the fireplace, was full of the sugary goods that Keegan was way too young to eat, but his daddy could get plenty of enjoyment out of it for him. It was clear by observing the room around him, that Christmas was going to arrive soon. But this was_ not_ how Pacey wanted to remember it.

Out of respect for Joey's feelings, he lightly knocked on the door and mumbled, "Jo?" before he slowly entered. The room was already dark, but the dim light from window, illuminated Joey's figure in bed. She was clinging to her pillow with her back to his side of the bed. She was clearly angry with him.

"Joey," he said softly as he moved to sit on the bed beside her. He moved the hair away from her cheek and explained. "I don't think you should give up on this offer just yet. We can make this work. I just need time to think-"

"-We don't have time, Pacey. _I_ don't have time…"

He could hear the frustration and panic in her voice as she spoke.

"I'm just going to have to find another contract, Pacey," she said coldly, as she turned away from him. "I don't have a choice. I'm a _wife_ and _mother_ now… remember?"

The way she had said 'wife and mother' sent a cold chill down Pacey's spine. He felt the resentment in her tone and it was then that something occurred to him.

"Wait a minute," he said sharply, tensing beside her. "You blame me."

"What?"

"You blame _me_ for not being able to sign this contract - for not being able to move to New York."

Joey shook her head as Pacey continued - growing more frustrated and angry with each word.

"Jo, when I asked you to move to Capeside with me – when I asked you to marry me - you didn't have a problem with moving."

"I'm not blaming you, Pacey! And I don't regret moving to Capeside… It's just_… It's just__ life_! I guess I should have known when I moved back to Capeside, t-to have a family with you, that I would never be able to have a successful career and accomplish my dreams-"

Pacey stood up, completely offended. "I guess I never realized Keegan and I weren't a part of your plans, Jo… your _dreams_."

"I didn't mean it like_ that_," she quickly answered, but the damage was already done. The words had already been said.

"It's always been this way with you, Jo," Pacey began in a raised tone, "Your dreams have always been bigger and better than me. They've never included me… And now I'm wondering if they _ever_ included Keegan."

Joey quickly sat up, "You're wrong Pacey!"

"But you know what I find interesting about this whole thing, Jo?" he continued, ignoring her protests. "You have _always_ been a part of my dreams - even when we weren't together, you were constantly there-"

"-Pacey! You didn't let me finish!" she shouted, trying to make him stop.

"There's no need to _finish_, Joey," Pacey said, angered, "I understand everything perfectly. I've never been in your future. _Keegan_ was never in your future!"

Joey shook her head and got out of bed, "That's unfair Pacey! Don't bring Keegan into this!"

Pacey scoffed loudly, just as Keegan's cries erupted from the other room. He had been awoken by their shouting.

"I'll get him," Joey mumbled irritably, walking towards the door, but Pacey stopped her.

"Don't bother, Jo," he answered in a low, sarcastic tone. "I wouldn't want him to interfere with your dreams."

Joey's jaw dropped. Those words had cut like knife, scarring her in ways Pacey never even realized. How was it possible for a sentence to evoke so much physical pain - so much agony within her heart? Sure she hadn't planned on having Keegan right away… And yes, she did have a rocky start as his mother, but still… _S__he was his mother_! _He was her son_! Keegan was just as much a part of her as he was Pacey.

She decided that now was not the time to confront Pacey about this. Now was not the time to comfort Keegan either. She felt bad enough that he had overheard their fight and didn't want to cause him any more misery.

She climbed back into bed, feeling resentful towards her husband and the harsh words he had used. He just didn't understand her. It was Keegan's first Christmas and yet she was finally realizing that the man she thought knew her the best – understood her completely – didn't even know her at all.

She closed her eyes and let the pain and loneliness consume her. She felt empty and drained.

The tears flowed unconsciously down her cheeks, representing her anger and pain that filled her heart. Not only did she have no contract for Christmas, but neither a happy family as well…

So much for Pacey's plans to have another baby…

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The glow of dawn cast a bright light through the window and interfered with the dreams – or rather, nightmares - Joey was having. They were all very strange, filled with her exes: Christopher, Eddie, and even _Dawson_… Pacey's voice kept reverberating the cruel, angry words he had used last night.

"_Your dreams have always been bigger and better than me…__"_

_"__Keegan was never in your __future_…"

Those harsh words sliced open the sore wound in her heart and caused her eyes to open with a start. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the light, moving her free-hand to her forehead, when she felt something warm and wet against her shoulder. She could feel the heavy breathing against her side and immediately recognized the little arm that had a strong grip around her shoulder.

She glanced down and whispered softly, "Ry?"

The little angel didn't respond, for he was too content in the land he was in – the land where all his dreams seemed to be pure and innocent. She craved to go back to those days of innocence; before life became complicated and the world seemed just a shade darker.

She rolled over, very carefully, as to not disturb the little baby sleeping peacefully against her shoulder. Pacey must have put him in bed with them last night while she was sleeping.

A small smile formed on her lips as she gently caressed the slight swell of her son's baby cheek. His little mouth was open a bit and formed the perfect oval. She reached down to pull the covers more securely over his little body when she noticed Pacey on the other side of the bed. His chest was rising and falling in the same rhythmic motion as their son. His chestnut hair was sticking up at odd ends and most of the covers were thrown off his body, exposing him in just his black boxers. She could tell he hadn't slept very well the night before. And what was worse, she knew exactly why.

Keegan slept for only a few minutes longer before the light from the window made him stir. He whimpered a little as he tried to wake up and Joey quickly lifted him from his spot and onto her chest. She kissed the top of his wavy, brown hair and whispered, "Merry Christmas, my baby."

Pacey apparently felt the motion of Joey lifting Keegan to her chest and moved to face his wife and son.

When Joey turned to look at him, she was met with a set of bright blue eyes that was filled with sorrow. Remorse and hesitation was clearly defined in his features, letting her know that the previous night's argument was still fresh in his mind. Even the way he moved his hand up to smooth down their son's unruly hair was very careful and precise. He wasn't ready to talk yet – this much was clear. However, she could tell he didn't want the silence between them either.

They just laid there in bed awkwardly, just gazing down at their sleeping son… each afraid to say the first word.

However, the tension finally melted away when Pacey relented and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek - telling her without a word that he regretted the argument they had last night. She closed her eyes and relished the feel of his lips against her skin, so gentle and kind. She only opened them again when she felt him move away and get out of bed.

"Pace?" she said softly, sitting up carefully, still cradling the sleepy baby in her arms.

He turned to look at her from the dresser.

"I'm sorry," she said with a mild crack in her voice.

Pacey's blue eyes looked pained as he replied, "Me too, Jo… Me too."

And with that he grabbed his shirt and left the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! So here is the update... This chapter is boardering on the rating M, so I just want to give you all a head's up. Thanks for the reviews! They are truly amazing... Also, I'll update "Aftershock" tonight sometime. Thanks for reading and enjoy!**

**-Chapter Four-**

Christmas dinner at the Leery household was fairly awkward for Pacey and Joey. Pacey mainly stayed around Jack, Doug, and Dawson, while Joey was avoiding him by "watching" the kids in the play room.

Anne was the first one to notice the tension between Pacey and Joey, but decided not to say anything. She put her suspicions to the test over dinner when she suggested the two sit by each other. Immediately this suggestion brought forth awkward glances from the two with both of them looking away and appearing somber. The tension lasted all through dinner and even up until the time they left at 7 o'clock.

The drive home was just as bad, with long periods of silence. Only the sounds of some Christmas music on the radio and baby Keegan's chattering in the back provided a mild sanctuary from their tension.

However, by the time Keegan's bath was taken and his bedtime routine taken care of, both Pacey and Joey had had enough of this childishness. Joey was the first one to break the ice.

"Pace?" she called out uneasily as she entered the living room. The fire was already going strong, creating the warm smells of wood burning in the fireplace and painting a very similar picture to the night before where this strain began in the first place.

Pacey looked up from his spot on the sofa, a light-colored beverage was in his hand that Joey suspected was alcoholic. His face was showing all the lines he had accumulated over the day and it was then she realized how much of an effect their fight had had on him.

She took a seat close to him on the couch, holding a flat rectangular box wrapped in shiny red Christmas paper. There was a silver ribbon wrapped around the present that came together in the shape of a bow, in the center. She hesitated before finally giving it to him.

"I was going to give you this last night," she began softly, as he put his drink down and took the gift. "But… well… you know what happened."

Pacey looked at Joey and smirked, "You aren't serving me with the divorce papers, are you?"

Joey didn't laugh. "That's not funny, Pacey."

He glanced down at the present, "_Sorry_… bad joke."

Joey watched as he began to unwrap his gift - slowly untying the bow and completely removing the ribbon. He carefully tore open the paper as if he had all the time in the world. When he finally uncovered the flat white box, he found a large square photo album placed inside, wrapped neatly in green tissue paper.

The album was bound in brown leather and when he opened it up to the first page, Joey's handwriting jumped out at him.

"_To a great friend, lover, husband, & father… Every day that I wake up in your arms__ is a dream come true and__ I couldn't ask for a better life than the one I've created with you._

_With all my heart, Joey."_

Pacey glanced up at his wife and smiled. "Thank you, Jo," he said grateful, putting one arm around her and kissing her forehead lightly.

"I meant every word," she replied softly, leaning back to welcome his lips on hers.

When they finally parted and he turned the page, a black and white photograph of Pacey holding Keegan came to life. It was a picture taken over the summer when they went sailing on _Devotion_ with the Richardson's – Pacey's business partners and now very close friends.

Keegan was sitting on top of his father's shoulders, his chubby hands clinging to Pacey's wavy hair, as they looked out at the water around them. Pacey was pointing towards something with one hand, while the other steadied the boy on his shoulders. Keegan was looking in the direction of his father's finger, completely enthralled with what he was telling him.

The happiness in that photo could not be contained and fixed a large grin on Pacey's face as he gazed down at the memory. When he turned the page again, he saw an exact replica of the previous picture – only this one was sketched out with a gray pencil. The initials "JLW" was written in long loops at the bottom of the page.

"Jo… this is beautiful," he exclaimed as one hand gently moved over the plastic cover in awe, while the other absentmindedly caressed Joey's back.

She smiled, not even looking at the picture, but instead studying his face. With each stroke of his thumb on her back, her body seemed to relax and she rested her head against his shoulder.

Page after page was filled with great memories of their summer vacation at sea – each holding an exact replica of Joey's drawings. When Pacey finally reached the last one, Joey sat up and took the leather album from him. She wrapped her arms around it and placed it close to her heart – as if she were hugging a pillow.

"Do you understand now what I was trying to tell you last night, Pacey?" she asked with uncertainty, as Pacey turned to look at her. "Do you understand that you and Keegan are my _life_? My _dreams_?"

Pacey listened carefully, watching as each word she spoke seemed to come directly from her heart. Her eyes were glistening with passion as she continued to explain.

"What I meant last night was that I never understood why I couldn't have _both_ of my dreams come true… career-wise AND family-wise. Right now I have everything I've ever wanted – more than I've ever dreamed of - but I just thought that maybe I could expand this dream into my writing… And I guess I was just disappointed last night because it isn't going to happen."

"But Jo, it can still happen!"

"No it can't, Pacey…" she replied adamantly. "I won't move away from my family. I won't give up my ultimate dream – and that is _you_ Pacey. It's always been you."

Pacey smiled with her declaration as his heart picked up in pace. He gently moved his hand to cup her chin, while his thumb traced her bottom lip.

"Do you believe me, Pacey?" she asked hesitantly, studying his eyes, "Because it's important to me that you never doubt my love for you."

He leaned forward and answered her without any words, letting his lips and hands do the talking for him. It was the kind of "yes" that was way more effective than any conversation could possibly express.

When their lips started to move together in the kind of rhythm that only _true_ soul-mates could perfect, Joey became eager to intensify their passion. Her hands quickly moved to free Pacey's shirt from his black slacks and she began to work on removing his belt.

Her eagerness to make love sent a surge of electricity through Pacey and before long he had lifted her from the couch and was carrying her down the hallway to their bedroom – his lips still dancing across her skin.

"Oh god, Pacey," she said breathily, with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms clinging to his neck and shoulders for support.

He gently guided her down to the bed, as his open mouth kisses were sending hot chills through her body. He only moved away once and that was to remove her sweater, leaving her dressed in only her black-lace bra and jeans – a very sexy combination that was turning him on like never before.

He could never deny how beautiful Joey was with nothing hiding her from his heated gaze. It only amplified how much he wanted to kiss and touch every inch of her body with only his emotions as his guide. He wanted to worship her like the graceful angel she was – the way she deserved.

He let his hands travel over the curves on her body, starting at her hip and gliding across her smooth stomach. He felt her tremble and sigh underneath him with his touch, sending a rush of desire through his body.

A deep growly sound came from the bottom of his throat when Joey began to unbutton his shirt. The cool air bit at his skin with fervor, but Joey's hands were quickly warming him up as she explored the firm flesh with tender caresses.

"I need you, Pacey," she said in between thick moans and heavy sighs. "Please."

He complied with her request, letting his hands and lips roam over her body boundlessly; building a fire that was growing more passionate with each stroke and affectionate caress.

"God, I love you, Pacey," she exclaimed with pleasure, as he was loving on her body.

He smiled, enjoying giving her the kind of love she desired - for it was the same kind of love he desired as well. They quickly parted from the rest of their clothing and Joey gasped at the feel of his skin so close to hers. She could feel his steady heartbeat against her chest and knew he was giving her all he had to offer.

When there was nothing left between them but the love they were making, he murmured soft sounds of worship in her ear and promises of a love that would last forever. There was no hiding the truth when their souls came together like this - as one.

Every touch was slow and deliberate, while their hearts were beating fast and uninhibited. Their passion was building steadily and when the magical moment of bliss was finally achieved, Pacey laid back on the bed gently taking his wife with him.

His arms were wrapped around her securely as he pressed his lips to her forehead with one last kiss. "I love you, Jo," he murmured against her dewy skin, the scent of her still consuming his senses and making him light-headed.

It was amazing at how alluring her scent was. He had never been this intensely attracted to a woman in his whole life – a fact that he was reminded of every time they made love. And his love for her never even compared to any of the other relationships he had had in the past. It was the kind of love that was so pure that sometimes it made him ache; sometimes it even made him doubt the fact that it was real. But it was real… _very real_. This was proven with the little brown-haired mischief maker they had created. And looking down at Joey, holding her gaze, he knew she felt the same way.

Joey slowly closed her eyes, clinging to his chest, as her fingers danced lazily over his skin. "I love you too, Pace," she whispered, before drifting off into a deep, peaceful slumber.

Pacey just laid there and watched as her breaths became deeper and more even. Her rosy cheeks were illuminated from the light in the window and her dark hair was fanned out on his bare chest and shoulder. The tips of his fingers were stroking the skin between her back and stomach, drawing careless lines across the velvet flesh.

It wasn't clear how long he laid there like that, just watching her sleep, but the next thing he knew, he had opened his eyes and discovered that she was gone. The beautiful woman who had graced him with her love the night before had disappeared.

He hastily threw the covers off his body and put on a pair of boxers before exiting the room in search of his lover. Of course he found her in the room across the hall, holding Keegan in the rocker, reading him a story.

Her voice was gentle and steady as she read from the classic, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Keegan's bright blue eyes were focused on the illustrations in the book, while Pacey's were focused on the little boy's beautiful mother. He had his thumb in his mouth, sucking away, when he looked up and discovered his father standing in the doorway.

"Daaaa!" he squealed, bouncing in his mother's lap and stretching out his arms to be picked up.

Joey set the book aside and smiled, "Good morning, Daddy."

"Mornin,' Jo," he replied with a knowing grin, before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"How's my son doing today, huh Keegan?" Pacey asked as he scooped up the bubbly baby in his arms. "Have you had your breakfast yet, little man?"

Keegan smiled and pointed to the door, "Ba-baa!"

Joey stood up and tightened the rope around her waist that was covering her. "I haven't fed him yet. I was going to wait until after our story."

"Ahh," Pacey replied, bouncing Keegan on his side. "Shall I leave and let you two finish?"

Joey smiled and shook her head, "No way. You mentioned food and there's no way Keegan and I are going to be able to concentrate now."

Pacey laughed and put his free hand on her back, "Well then, come on Jo. I'll fix us some breakfast."

Keegan bounced up and down in excitement, pointing to the door again, squealing gibberish.

"Alright, alright, let's get him his 'ba-baa,'" Joey said with a smile as Pacey guided her out the door. "But I expect my blue berry pancakes _crisp_ this morning."

"Have my culinary abilities ever let you down?" he asked smugly.

Joey glared at him, "Now don't be too modest, Pace. It might ruin 'the mood'."

Pacey smiled and followed her into the kitchen.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

As Pacey sat in the living room, looking over the scrapbook Joey had given him for Christmas, he couldn't help but notice all the talent emitted into her work. She was very good and it was a shame that she wasn't sharing these talents with the rest of the world. The same could be said about her writing.

"Hey Pace!" Joey called out from the nursery where she was putting Keegan down for his nap. "Where's Ry's _Duddle__ Duck_?"

Pacey smiled and gently closed the album. He got up and went into the nursery to help her look. Joey was already in there, holding Keegan on her hip, looking through a long toy box for Keegan's favorite toy.

"I thought it was in his crib," Pacey replied, glancing around the room.

"I already looked there and I can't find it," she answered, standing straight again, and rocking Keegan back and forth in a soothing motion.

Pacey lightly caressed the top of Keegan's head. His eyes were already beginning to droop as his head rested on his mother's shoulder. He wouldn't be awake for much longer.

"Why don't you try rocking him without it and I'll check the other rooms."

Joey agreed and sat down in the rocking chair by the window, as she cradled the baby boy in her arms.

Pacey didn't have to search the house for very long, before he found the black duck in his bedroom, under the bed. Keegan must have dropped it in there when he was following Joey around this morning. That was their routine after all – Joey fixing her hair and making the bed as Keegan would follow her around in amazement.

He carefully picked up the stuffed animal and went across the room to return it to its owner and that's when it hit him. He was consumed in the battle they had been fighting for the last few days and was completely overwhelmed.

There was Joey, looking down at their son with such love and affection that immediately his heart was screaming to make another one. But then at the same time, his mind went back to the scrapbook she had made and all the talent filled within it's pages, and he knew _now_ was not the right time to have another baby.

His face became solemn as he was fighting the internal battle within himself with the questions – do what's best for Joey? Or do what's best for their family?

"Pacey?" she whispered with concern. "Are you okay?"

Pacey relaxed slightly and handed her the duck. He knew what he had to do.

"Yeah, I'm fine… but we need to talk."

Joey's features grew concerned as she studied her husband. She gently placed the sleeping baby in his crib, before following him into the kitchen to talk.

"You need to sign the contract Jo," he blurted out before she had a chance to sit down. "You need to move to New York and become the author I know you can be."

"What?" she asked completely confused.

Pacey took a deep breath and slowed down. "This is your chance Jo. It's that 'now or never' scenario we've been waiting for and I'm not going to get in the way this time."

Joey folded her arms, trying to figure out where all this was coming from.

"You may never get another opportunity like this again, Jo," he explained, fervently. "It's just a year and I'm sure they'll let me visit you and Keegan in New York when I'm not working at the restaurant."

"But Pacey, this just doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense, Joey!" he replied with a smile, fighting his aching heart. "You, Josephine Potter, have always been destined to do great things and you can't accomplish everything from a small town like Capeside. You've got to go somewhere bigger – somewhere, where all your talents can be freed and expressed to the world. It's not right to _not_ sign that contract. It _is_ right to move to New York."

Joey stood there, stunned. She looked around the room without really noticing anything. She was just thinking about what he was telling her to do and what that would mean for their relationship – for their _family_.

"You know," she said after awhile with a smirk. "I'm starting to understand how you became so good at that marketing job a few years back."

Pacey released a tense breath and smiled. "Well someone has got to be the voice of reason here."

"I agree, but I'm not so sure that it's you," she teased, as she placed her arms around his waist.

Pacey smiled and kissed the top of her forehead. "So what's the verdict, Jo? Are you taking my family to New York?"

Joey tensed and looked away. She didn't know what to say. Everything was telling her this was wrong, but for some reason, she just couldn't fight it.

Pacey felt his heart break when she mumbled the one, painful word, he was dreading to hear.

"_Yes_."

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	5. Chapter 5

**-Chapter Five-**

"Park Avenue?" Joey muttered under her breath as she came to a complete stop, glaring at the sign. "Are you kidding me?"

"Are you coming or going lady?" an impatient man in a business suit asked impatiently from behind her.

Joey just turned to glare at him. Like it was any of his business where she was going. Or more importantly, like he really _cared_…

The latter part of her conclusion proved to be his reasoning as he stepped out, onto the busy street, and began to cross. It was then she realized the walking light was shining brightly across from her and she cursed the high heels she was wearing.

Whose idea was it again to make _high heels_ a part of business attire for women? Oh right. _Men_. No need to delve any further into that subject for people with the y-chromosome instantly made her blood boil. After all, it was a _man_ she had grown so dependent upon within the last few years. A fact that had overwhelmed her when she tried to sleep in the cold bed the night before, imagining his arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm and safe. It was impossible to feel whole again, unless he was near or holding her in his arms with the love and protection she had grown so accustomed to.

There was a time in her life when that kind of devotion to a man was smothering to her soul. However, with Pacey, it was never like that. She wasn't sure how he had broke through the numerous barriers she had built against that kind of dependency – especially in the latter years – but he had shattered every one of them.

And yet it was another man that took him away, making her wonder if publishing her book was ever _really_ a dream of hers.

Joey huffed as she stepped onto the smooth pavement, praying to keep her balance as she walked anxiously across the street in front of a mass of cars, honking and yelling profanities in her direction. The noise was something else she wasn't used to after living in the country by the creek. It was something that took her months to get used to when she first moved back, and unfortunately, she was afraid it would be even _longer_ this time around.

As she praised her feet for getting her safely across the hard pavement unscathed, she found the building she was looking for. There was no sign, but rather the numbers 12 glaring back at her. She took a deep breath and pushed the button.

"Tree House Publishing," a crisp female voice rang clearly through all the noise.

"Yes," she started nervously, "I'm Joey Potter - I mean Witter, here for my meeting with Mr. Trenton-"

A loud beep interrupted her thought – and her sentence for that matter – as she heard something release the lock on the door. She quickly grabbed it and entered.

It didn't take her long before she found the receptionist desk and was quickly led to an office in the back.

"Josephine Witter! How great it is to finally meet you in person!" a male voice exclaimed with fake enthusiasm as she walked through the glass doors.

"Oh.. er, hi," she stammered, trying to remember to keep a professional front, but failing miserably.

The man who had greeted her was standing a few feet away from her with his hand extended. A bright smile revealed his polished teeth and accentuated the gel – or rather _grease_ – in his black hair.

'This is just stereotypical,' Joey thought as she took his hand with grace, finally regaining her composure. "It's a pleasure, Mister Trenton."

"Please," he scoffed with a wave of his hand. "Call me Paul."

And before she had time to digest the thought that her uncle – who was a sleazy man – was also named Paul, he asked rather forcefully.

"Coffee?"

Joey smiled earnestly, "Sure."

Honestly, coffee didn't sound bad at this point. After all, it was only 7 o'clock in the morning and she hadn't slept well the previous night.

Whoever said the first night away from home was the worst, should be sued. The first night she slept in the foreign bed was like heaven. She was exhausted by the time her corpse hit the pillows both mentally and physically- so sleep was not a task, but a mere luxury.

That morning, she had had to make the tough decision of _not_ bringing her baby with her to New York, much to Pacey's surprise. She had to explain that Keegan would have to go to daycare for most of the day if he went with her, and that she wasn't ready to expose him to New York just yet. He was still far too young and innocent, in her mind, to learn the survival skills needed to live in a city as fast as New York. Plus, Keegan would get to spend more time with his father at the restaurant where she knew he had set up a playpen in his office to watch him. Really, it was what was best for Keegan.

So with a quick kiss goodbye and a hug that was far too short, she had to leave her baby, knowing that it would be at least _two weeks _until she would see his bright blue eyes again.

"Sugar? Cream?" Trenton offered as a thick white mug was set in front of her. Immediately the aroma sent a calming chill down her spine and she smiled. "No thanks."

"Okay then. Shall we get started?" he asked, moving to sit behind the marble L shaped desk.

"Sure," she answered, adjusting her seat so she was closer to examine the papers he had just set in front of her.

"As you know, this deal is depending upon your participation in the tour this summer. We have great faith in you and want you to be prepared to do book signings, excerpts, release parties, question and answer sets, et cetera, et cetera."

The ring in his voice as he was explaining her obligations to the tour sent a painful spasm through her muscles. His voice was definitely not calming her nerves, but making them more prominent.

"I have arranged for you to shadow one of our more inspired authors as he does a question and answer set today, followed by his book release party tonight at eleven. You will be dressed for the occasion, correct?"

Joey had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She may have been an editor wearing sweats and old t-shirts, but yes, she did know how to dress for formal events. She had been to a few book release parties in her day.

She repressed the urge to say, '_Yes, I'll go in my pajamas_,' and simply nodded her head. She couldn't trust the words that would tumble out of her mouth. It was far too early to think properly and there was not an adequate amount of caffeine coursing through her veins yet.

"Great!" he answered with the same enthusiasm that was beginning to give her a headache. "So here are the numbers we plan on investing into this project."

She followed the point of his pen and her jaw dropped. Never had she seen a contract quite like this before. Why so much money?

Apparently she had said this thought aloud because Mr. Trenton answered with a mild chuckle, "I believe in going all the way or doing nothing. When I talked to your agent, she showed me the great potential this book holds. She also mentioned you're planning a sequel?"

"Uh.. Yeah-Yes." The numbers on the page below was still affecting her train of thought.

"Great! Well I'll let you go over everything for a few minutes and then we'll be ready to sign."

Joey looked down at the page feeling lost. Everything was so over-the-top. Life just needed to slow down so she could think properly. Were dreams supposed to be _this_ difficult to achieve? Was this really her dream?

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Pacey sat in his office at the short mahogany desk facing the door and looked down at the numbers on his financial statements without really comprehending what they meant. His mind was elsewhere and not on the accounting meeting he had in the morning.

The more time passed with very little work being done, the more he felt like kicking himself for telling Daniel that he would meet with Jessica Bellevue, the restaurants' primary accountant, to go over last quarter's numbers. However he knew _why_ he had agreed to do it so willingly – Joey hadn't left yet. She was still home.

_Home_. That was a word that was constantly being redefined. Home used to mean the 5 bedroom house outside of Capeside. The place where he could open the door to find the smells of macaroni and cheese accompanied with Keegan's chattering and Joey's soothing voice talking to him. The place where a few innocent kisses could turn into something more magical-_ sacred_ even.

But the definition had changed, yet again. _Home_ was not the cold and empty house she had left behind only two days ago. _Home_ was wherever_ she_ was. Home would _always_ be where she was.

He heard a small whimper from the corner of his office and felt the ache in his heart intensify. Why did it have to be this hard? Why did it feel like he would never see her again? – like he would never taste her kisses or hold her soft flesh against his skin? Feel her heartbeat so steady with his, perfecting the magic that lingered between their souls? It just didn't make sense. Two days without her shouldn't be this miserable… this time consuming. It should be at least a few _months_ before this intense ache overcame his willpower. Not just _two days_.

"Mr. Witter?" Sherrie, a new waitress with long sandy hair, greeted him from the doorway.

Pacey stood up. "Come on in, Sherrie. What do you need?"

Another prominent whimper from the corner of the room caught Sherrie's attention as she spoke, "There is a woman on the phone asking to speak to you. I told her you were very busy, but she insisted."

Immediately his heart leapt from his chest._ Joey_.

"Okay, I'll take it in here," he responded more cheerily than he had intended.

Sherrie hesitated before leaving. Her eyes were focused on the baby in the corner. "Uh… Mr. Witter?"

Pacey looked up from his desk, his hand placed firmly on the black phone in front of him. "Yeah?"

"Is he all right?"

Pacey followed her pointed finger to Keegan, who was sitting in his rolling chair looking pale and sad.

"Yeah," he answered solemnly, completely understanding the lost look on his son's face. Who wouldn't feel lost without their mother at that age? "He'll be all right."

"Should I bring him something to eat? A bottle maybe?"

Pacey smiled. The women in the restaurant never failed to take care of Keegan and make sure he was properly fed and cared for. Not that he was lacking in those skills, it's just the women seemed eager to do it for him. Keegan Riley was definitely a magnet to the estrogen charged females. And especially now that Joey was gone.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd like that."

Sherrie smiled and walked over to the baby, gently lifting him from his seat.

"Come here, cutie," she cooed in a baby voice. "Let's get you a bottle."

Keegan whimpered slightly, but rested his head on the young girl's shoulder. His eyes were drooped and the way he looked at Pacey sent a knife straight to his soul. He wondered if Keegan knew that_ he_ was the one responsible for sending his mother away. Would he remember this? Would it scar him to the point he would need therapy during those crazy adolescent years?

Those thoughts had to be shoved aside when he heard the beep on his phone, letting him know that the call had been transferred.

He picked up the phone too eagerly.

"Jo?" he greeted enthusiastically.

"_She still hasn't called_?" the soft voice replied on the other end of the phone.

Pacey's heart sank. "No Bessie, she hasn't. You?"

"_Nothing_."

That pain in his heart began to spread like a disease, draining every ounce of happiness left in his body.

"_Bodie just wanted me to call and see if you had any extra veal. Leery's Fresh Fish just ran out and they're catering the mayor's New Year'__s Eve party in a few days. They can't get another order in for at least two weeks_."

"Yeah, I think I have some. I'll have someone send it over."

"_Great! Thanks Pacey. Gail was panicking, but she'll be able to relax now._"

"Glad I could help." he choked out half-heartedly. It was then he realized how much Bessie's voice resembled Joey's and it hurt. It was just plain cruel.

There was a long pause.

"_Why don't you just call her, Pace_?" Bessie asked with concern, her motherly instincts taking over.

"I have Bessie, trust me, I have."

_"Well she's probably busy. It is _New York_ after__all_."

He couldn't answer. Bessie got the message.

"Well, thanks again Pace! I'll call you if I hear anything."

"Yep," was all he could manage before he hung up the phone.

Pacey swallowed hard as he heard the door open and his son crying voice cutting through his loneliness.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned, immediately going over to see what was wrong.

"I don't know," Sherrie answered honestly – almost panicked – as she rocked him back and forth trying to calm him. "I just gave him a bottle and he started screaming."

His chubby cheeks were beginning to turn maroon as his shrilly cry was becoming unbearable to listen to.

"Come here, Ry." Pacey said, taking him with the utmost care. "What's wrong?"

Keegan's cries for help were not getting any quieter and a few people dining in the restaurant were growing concerned.

Pacey quickly glanced down at the forms he had to prepare for the morning and cursed under his breath.

"Calm down, Ry." He pleaded as he tried to figure out what to do next. He had never seen Keegan _this_ upset before. He was usually such a happy baby.

"I know you miss your mom, but we'll see her soon."

This didn't calm Keegan in the slightest.

"Sherrie can you call Gretchen and ask her to come in for me? I think I'm going to have to take him home."

Sherrie nodded with wide eyes looking at the crying baby. "Sure thing, Mr. Witter."

Pacey quickly leaned down to pick up a few of Keegan's things when it happened.

Suddenly Keegan stopped crying. Pacey stood up, completely confused, when he saw his face was turning a sour color. It then dawned on him why Keegan was so upset – why he had been fussy all day.

With wide eyes, he exclaimed in a bit of a panic: "Okay Keegan, just hold on." His eyes began searching the small room for anything that would save him from the inevitable. But it was too late.

An awful retching sound filled the room and he felt Keegan's little body expelling the poisons from his stomach that was making him sick. He rubbed his back soothingly, suddenly filled with remorse that his son felt so terrible.

"That's it Keegan," he said softly, ignoring the fact Keegan was making a mess in his office and on his shirt. "Let it out buddy."

Once Keegan was finished, he looked up at his father with sad big blue eyes. He didn't understand what had just happened to him and what had made him feel so horrible. His bottom lip began to tremble and elephant-sized tears filled his eyes as he began to cry again.

The sight broke Pacey's heart. Where was Joey when he needed her?

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry if you get alerts! I found a major error at the bottom, so I fixed it. Thanks so much for your kind reviews!**

_Ticklesnowflake_, I hope you do good on your midterms. Good Luck! And _mummyof2_, I hope your daughter gets to feeling better. We've been having a lot of the nasty stuff go around here, but I've missed it so far. So, good luck to you as well! Hang in there!

**-Chapter Six-**

"It's alright Keegan," Pacey said softly, rocking the crying one-year-old back and forth in his arms. He was sitting in the nursery, holding his son in the rocker after another sick spell had overwhelmed him. It was almost 5:30 in the morning, and he had had the worst night he had ever experienced in his life.

It was the most helpless feeling in the world watching Keegan in so much misery. The worst part of it all was when his sad blue eyes would look up at him accusingly, as if _Pacey_ was the cause of all his pain. He just couldn't understand that his father was trying to _help_ him, not _hurt_ him, when he gave him the awful tasting medicine. Keegan's cry was unlike any cry he had ever heard before, much more tortured and agonizing.

Pacey's breaking point happened when the little man cried out for his "Ma-ma," right before his stomach turned on him for the fourth time. It tore him up that he couldn't give him what he wanted and probably needed. Joey was just too far away.

It hurt him to the point that he was angry with Joey for not being there for their child. Their son needed her and yet she could care less. But before he let those thoughts get too carried away, he reminded himself that Joey didn't even know Keegan was sick. Although he had tried calling her numerous times throughout the day, to let her know, but it was no use. She wasn't answering the phone or returning any of his calls.

He had to resort to calling Gretchen and Bessie for advice, who both suggested he call Keegan's pediatrician.

When he got a hold of the pediatrician, she instructed him take his temperature to make sure it wasn't extremely high. It was at 99.1: high, but apparently not high enough to take him into the hospital just yet. She recommended giving Keegan some Pedialyte along with a small dosage of liquid ibuprofen to help keep him hydrated and to keep the fever down.

These two minor tasks proved to be complex with a sick baby. When Keegan seemed to finally run down from his crying, Pacey was able to put the medicine in his mouth, only to restart the horrific cries all over again. And when he gave his son some of the Pedialyte in hopes of never seeing it again, he was wrong…

He wasn't sure how many times he had to change his shirt that night – and bath Keegan for that matter – but he was just as miserable as the whimpering baby lying on his chest… exhausted even.

"I know Keegan," Pacey said soothingly, as the baby's face turned red in his agony.

"Maaaa!" he cried out cried out pleadingly as if he were being tortured.

Pacey sighed and shifted him to where his face was now resting on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I'm really sorry. I had no idea it would be like this. Please just calm down, Ry. I'll get your mother back, soon. I promise."

Keegan continued to cry until he didn't have any more energy. Pacey continued rubbing his back until the cries died down. Keegan finally relaxed and was able to close his eyes.

"That's it, Ry. Go to sleep."

Pacey's comforting voice sent the baby right to sleep. His little left fist was clutching the front of Pacey's shirt as he slept, while the other hand was by his mouth. The color in his face seemed to return back to normal the longer he slept, making Pacey relax.

He was beginning to feel sleepy as well, but was afraid to move in case Keegan woke up again. He rested his head back against the chair and closed his eyes, wondering what Joey was doing right now. Probably working late on her story with the editors, he assumed. She was most definitely having a blast right now in New York. It was her favorite city after all.

The image of Joey's bright smile and beautiful face was the last thing he saw as he drifted off to sleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Joey had finally had enough. Walking up and down the streets of New York in a pair of high-heels was not only painful, it was _dangerous_. Three times she had almost fallen to the ground and only once was she able to catch herself. The other two resulted in the kindness of strangers catching her fall before she cleared the ground – and for New York, it was one thing to find _one_ kind stranger, but it was a clear sign of the Armageddon to find _two_. So determined not to press her luck any further, she pulled off Satan's torture and climbed the stairs of her apartment barefoot.

When she reached the third floor and sauntered down the hallway to room number 312, she was met by the sight of woman who appeared to be younger than she was – maybe 21 or 22 at the oldest. Her black hair was perfectly straight and fell in the ideal spot between her shoulder blade and shoulder. Her heart shaped face was toned and tanned, with a heavy layer of bronze make-up that accentuated the young woman's long, auburn-layered dress. She appeared to be ready to leave and go out for the night.

"There you are!" she exclaimed to Joey as if she had known her for years. "Where have you been?"

Joey looked up at the woman completely perplexed. Was she really talking her?

"I had to send away your delivered food _three_ times because you were gone. Do you have any idea the burden that was?"

Yep, this woman was definitely talking to Joey. "Uh… sorry?"

"So where have you been?"

Joey looked from her door, to the crazy woman, and the keys in her hands, estimating the time it would take for her to escape. She realized her odds weren't good with the mentally unstable woman already so close, so she decided to keep her cool.

"I've been out," Joey answered honestly, still deciding what her best approach should be. Nice or cold? Nice or cold? _Nice_ won out by only a fraction. Living in Capeside had definitely had an influence on Joey over the past two years.

"Well _duh_, silly!" she replied with an exaggerated eye-roll. "I'm just trying to figure what could be so important for a woman like you to leave a man like Pacey waiting by the phone all day."

"What?" Joey said almost accusingly, dropping her shoes. How did this woman know her husband – or rather - _w__hy_ did this woman know her husband.

"Well if I had a man as beautiful as he is, do you think I would let him get far enough away from me to resort to phone calls? No! We would be in my room mapping out the high seas on his body."

Joey's brain just went from slow and barely functioning into overdrive. Did this woman just say what she thought she said? No. Nobody was that crass.

"What are you saying exactly?" Joey rounded on her as that _nice_ feeling was leaving her body at an alarming rate and the old cynical Joey took over.

"You heard me," she replied simply, ignoring Joey's sudden change in disposition, and walked over to pick up her shoes. "Nice choice… _Macy's_ eh? I'm more of a _DG_ girl myself. Hey do you mind if I wear these tonight?"

Okay… It was obvious. This woman was mental. Joey was sharing an apartment with a lunatic. Could God be crueler?

But how did she know Pacey?

"No you may not wear my shoes," Joey answered indignantly, still fuming about her comments about Pacey. "And you better explain to me how _your_ mind came to picture _my_ husband in your bed."

The woman shrugged. "He just seems more relaxed with his clothes off. It was only natural he would end up in my bed."

Before Joey had a chance to process her words, a man in a shiny black suit came in from around the corner.

"Hey Keeta! Are you ready to go? Trevor's waiting in the cab."

"Yeah Dee, I'll be just a sec," she answered with a bright smile.

"Well it's been fun, but I gotta go," she explained as she handed Joey her shoes back. "I'll talk to you in the morning, Josephine Lily! Call Pacey!"

Joey held her shoes against her chest in shock. How did this girl know so much about her? How did she know Pacey? How did she know her full name?

She stood there in the hallway for a good five minutes trying to process what had just happened. After coming up with no real explanation besides her lack of sleep and abundance of stress, she quickly turned to disappear into her apartment. She locked the door, the deadbolt, and the three chain locks behind her.

She closed her eyes and threw her head back against the door, slowly sliding down to the floor. When she opened her eyes again, the number 3 was flashing brightly in red on her answering machine. When she got up to press the play button, Pacey's voice filled her apartment.

The crazy woman was right. Pacey had been trying to call her. But how did she know?

XOXOXOXOXOXO

A loud ring, quickly followed by Keegan's shrilly cry, woke Pacey with a start. Immediately he started cursing profanities under his breath, but then realized Keegan was still within earshot and kept his thoughts to himself.

"Calm down, buddy. It's just the phone."

Keegan quivered and sniffled a few times before he relented and rested his head against his father's shoulder. He promptly stuck his thumb in his mouth and closed his eyes. The little guy was completely exhausted and fell right back to sleep as soon as his father laid him in his crib.

Pacey barely flipped open his cell phone and stepped outside the nursery when Joey's voice rang out, "He's sick? Keegan's sick! Did you take his temperature and give him some medicine? How many times has he thrown up? Maybe I can get back in time to take him to the doctor - or maybe he needs to go now. Can you take him to the doctor, Pace? Can you handle him by yourself?"

Pacey chuckled. She had managed to get all that out within two breaths. "Slow down, Jo… He's doing better."

"But you're going to take him to the doctor, right? He needs to see a doctor if he's throwing up."

"I see you finally got my messages," he replied sarcastically.

"Yeah," she answered gravely. "I've been out all day. So what time do think you'll take him in to see the doctor?"

"It's all taken care of, Joey. I called the pediatrician last night and she said as long as we keep his fever down, there's no need to go in. We just have to wait it out."

"Oh…"

There was an awkward pause. Pacey took a deep breath and maneuvered to lie on his bed across the hall. The bed was already made, another reminder that she was gone. He reached over for her pillow and put it behind his head so he could at least have the scent of her while he was talking to her.

"_Hey_ Jo," he said after a while with a slight chuckle.

He heard her sigh and laugh as well, "Hey Pace."

"So how are you doing? Is New York the way you remembered it?"

"Um… yes and no," she answered with hesitation.

"Well which one is it?" he teased. "Does the water taste better? Is the music worse? What?"

"I don't know how to explain it Pace. It's just very different this time." She paused, "_Lonelier_."

Pacey smiled, feeling somewhat relieved.

"I miss you, Pace."

"I miss you too, Jo."

"So did you get the food I sent you today?"

Joey sighed, "No I didn't. I have this neighbor who…" she slowly trailed off as something dawned on her. "Hey Pace, you wouldn't have slept with any crazy women from New York, would you?"

Pacey raised an eyebrow surprised. That was the last question he expected to hear from his wife. Unfortunately his tainted past made it impossible for him to answer the question right away. There were a few times, when he was younger, that he had been with women from New York, so he couldn't say no. He just wasn't sure about the 'crazy' part and he would never lie to her. "Um, I'm don't know Jo. Why?"

"Well there's this woman… She mentioned you- but never mind that. I'll deal with her later."

Pacey grimaced in confusion, "Oh-okay…"

There was another pause.

"Hey Pace?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Pacey smiled, "I love you too."

"What are you doing right now?" she asked with curiosity.

"I'm lying in our bed, talking to you," he answered in a tone thick with sarcasm. He could just see her evil eye roll and smiled. "Stop that."

"What?" she asked confused.

"You just rolled your eyes at me and now you're debating whether or not to hang up."

"Well you got the first part right, and as for the second, I figured I would give you another 10 seconds to redeem yourself."

"Oh really? _Just_ ten seconds, eh?"

"Yes, and you can consider yourself lucky, too. I'm tired and you really only _deserve_ five."

"Well, in that case, I better get to working on this grand gesture your expecting… Wouldn't want you to be disappointed or anything…"

Joey laughed. Pacey enjoyed the sound. It was soothing to his soul. That was one thing he missed the most - hearing her laughter and watching her smile. He wondered if she missed him as much as he missed her.

Just as Pacey was getting ready to ask this question aloud, Keegan's cry from the nursery filled the house.

"Oh my god, Pacey," Joey exclaimed in surprise. "That isn't Keegan is it?"

"Afraid so."

"But it's so-"

"_Painfu_l? _Tortured_? Yeah.. I've been dealing with this all night."

"I'm so sorry Pace."

He wouldn't acknowledge her apology for a part of him was still angry that she wasn't there. Keegan's cries made it hard for him to not be angry with her, even though she did nothing wrong. He just had to blame something… Even if it was wrong.

"I should probably go," he murmured with regret.

"Tell him I love him, Pacey."

"I always do."

"I love you too, Pace."

"I know, Jo."

Joey paused and hesitated before saying, "Well… Goodbye. I'll talk to you as soon as I can."

"Bye Jo."

He flipped his phone shut and set it on the night stand by the bed. When he moved through the hall and into Keegan's nursery he found the poor guy in a mess. He was the victim of another sick spell, which covered his sheets and clothing – testing Pacey's iron stomach.

Pacey ignored the queasy feeling developing in his own stomach and lifted Keegan from his crib. He carefully carried him into the bathroom and set him on the counter. He removed all of his clothes before placing him in the bathtub for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that night. He cleaned up his son the best he could and within fifteen minutes, Keegan was clean again.

As Pacey made a temporary bed for Keegan in his playpen, he caught a glimpse of something that surprised him – especially under the current circumstances. There was Joey's perfect lop-sided smile, painted across Keegan's little face. It was so prominent that he was instantly reminded that Keegan was, in fact, a part of Joey – that it was _her_ blood - along with his own - that ran through the little guy's veins along with her love...

It was in that brief, content, moment that Pacey realized Joey was still with him. She would always be with him. She had given their son her irresistible smile and that would be the one thing that could make this next year without her more bearable. As long as he had a piece of Joey with him like this, he could let her go.

Even though this night was tough, that one moment gave Pacey contentment. It was a moment he would never forget for the rest of his life. It was the moment he would hold onto, until she returned home.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	7. Chapter 7

**-Chapter Seven-**

Joey slowly opened her eyes, from a restless night's sleep, when she felt the bright light from the sun peak in through her window. She blinked a few times, bringing the covers up over her shoulder, and tried to focus her vision. As she looked towards the white wall where her door was located, a colorful silhouette caught her eye. Her eyes finally focused on the woman standing by her bedroom door, with perfectly straight black hair, wearing a red turtleneck sweater and khaki pants with black stilettos.

It was then that it occurred to Joey that she was still dreaming and so she closed her eyes and nuzzled back into her warm pillow. When she opened her eyes again, bright green eyes were a mere inches from her face.

"EEEAHHH!" she shrieked, literally jumping out of bed. "WHO ARE YOU!?" she shouted in shock.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," the woman answered calmly with a smile.

Joey grabbed her robe and searched for the phone. "I'll call the police! You shouldn't be here!"

The woman shrugged, "It's okay Josephine. I'm your neighbor – Keeta, from across the hall. Remember me? We met earlier. You wouldn't let me borrow your pumps."

Joey held her breath. Of course she remembered the lunatic! How could she forget her? This was the same woman who was talking about Pacey being in her bed and in a compromising position no less. Things like that weren't easily forgotten.

"How did you get in here?" Joey demanded with a shaky voice, still trying to steady her breathing from the shock.

"Oh, I have a key. I'm the manager of these apartments."

"Right…" Joey answered in disbelief. "So it's _normal_ for managers to sneak into residents' apartments, in the middle of the night, and watch them sleep?"

"No," she answered simply.

"Glad you think so too," Joey replied sarcastically.

"I just come into yours," she explained with a shrug, moving to sit on Joey's bed. "Paul called earlier and wanted me to make sure you had signed your contract. So I just came in to wait for you to wake up. By the way, Pacey called and said that Keegan's fever went down and that he's doing better."

Joey's heart began to beat faster. She fingered her wedding band and asked suspiciously, "How do you know my husband?"

"I don't," she said with a shrug.

"But you told me that he was in your bed, _naked_."

"No, I didn't," she replied with a look of mock derision. "What I said was that _if he were my husband_ he would be in my bed right now. You asked me how he got there and I said it was because he just seemed more comfortable naked to me. That's all. Just what he looks like to me."

"And how do you know what he looks like?" Joey asked completely tense, inching closer to the door.

"Your pictures, silly!" Keeta answered with a chuckle. "Duh!"

Joey's eyebrows furrowed just before her eyes widened with realization. "You've been in here before?!"

"Well, yeah!" she answered, still laughing as if Joey were stupid. "I've been dying to meet my new neighbor for _days_ now, but you've always been gone… Nice contract by the way. That's a lot of money they're offering you, but you're not going to sign it are you?"

"You've been going through my briefcase!" Joey shouted, angrily, her voice rising higher. "That's private, personal information! You had NO right!!"

"Well I was trying to find your name."

"You should have it," Joey answered fuming. "You're the manager of this apartment after all!"

"No, I have _Paul_'s name. He's the one we're renting this apartment to. I had no idea which writer he was going to move into this apartment for a year, so I had to meet you. Who knows? I could be living with the next Jane Austen."

Joey smiled weakly in disbelief, "Right…"

She took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. She could get a new apartment if she had to, not that she would need one after the decision she made last night.

Keeta seemed to read her thoughts as she said, "You know, you never answered my question."

"Not that I'm guaranteeing an answer, but what question?"

"Are you or are you not going to sign that contract?"

"Why do you care?"

"For a number of reasons," she answered simply, standing up. "But the most important is that I have 500 bucks on the line. Dee thinks you'll sign it… _I_, however, know you won't."

Joey folded her arms over her stomach. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you've been here for almost a week now and you haven't even unpacked your pajamas," she answered with a smirk, gesturing to Joey's navy luggage.

It was true, she hadn't unpacked anything. It just felt too permanent to do so. Plus, she was still trying to make her decision.

"So what's it going to be Josephine Lilly? Am I out five-hundred bucks, or what?"

Joey wrapped her arms around her stomach tighter. Sure she had made her decision last night, but she was afraid… Afraid that Pacey would be disappointed in her _decision_, or maybe worse – disappointed in _her_. But now she couldn't think about that for there were more important things to consider and new factors in the equation.

She sat down on the bed beside her insanely deranged neighbor and folded her legs underneath her. She looked over to see a genuine smile spread across Keeta's face. She appeared oddly comforting and sincere – well despite the whole breaking and entering into her apartment thing.

Keeta smiled knowingly as she looked at Joey. "Maybe your decision has already been made for you?"

Joey looked down. Keeta was right. The fates had stepped in last night and her destiny as a writer was settled. Now she just had to accept the fates.

"Well call me sometime," Keeta said with a smile. "I'll tell Paul you made your decision."

Joey looked up, uneasily, watching Keeta's retreating form. "Yeah… Sure," she answered politely. _Or not_… she thought as she went to go secure her door again.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Pacey smiled as he watched his son sit at his little play station examining all the bright colored buttons and shapes on the plastic bench in front of him. Usually, he would stand as he played with that particular toy, getting more pleasure out of hitting two buttons at once to get two completely different sounds, but this afternoon was different.

He was sitting down with concentration in his deep blue eyes as he examined his options. He finally decided on the red star before quickly changing his mind and going for the blue circle. Mozart's Symphony No. 40 began to play loudly from the plastic toy, eliciting a large, toothy grin from Keegan. He looked up at his dad with pride, pleased with himself for producing such a beautiful sound.

Pacey merely shook his head and chuckled. "Your mother is having_ way_ too much of an influence on you, Ry. I'm afraid you don't know what good music is, my man. But don't worry... Your Pop can fix that."

Pacey carefully picked up the smiling one year old and carried him down the stairs to his office. He walked slow and easy, still unsure that Keegan's stomach wouldn't go sour on him again. Thankfully, it didn't and he walked into the small, cluttered room unscathed.

"So you think you can keep a secret?" Pacey asked with a mischievous curve on his lips.

Keegan blinked a few times, unsure, and gripped his father's shirt tighter in his chubby fists. Pacey and Joey rarely brought him downstairs, since most of his stuff was upstairs, so this was an area in the house that he wasn't used to.

"Alright, I'll take that as a yes," he answered gingerly, setting the baby on the floor so he could find what he was looking for.

He grabbed a key that was taped up underneath his desk and walked over to the grey file cabinet. He unlocked it and pulled out a metal box. He smiled impishly as he looked down at his son, placing the oblong, metal box on the floor in front of Keegan.

"Now remember Ry," he began as he opened the box. "What your mother doesn't know won't hurt her. Always remember that."

Keegan looked down, inside the box, as Pacey pulled out a few old magazines lying on the top. Keegan reached out his hands, opening and closing his fists, letting Pacey know he wanted to see them. Pacey shook his head.

"These, my son, will have to wait for a different year, and _whole_ other kind of conversation."

Keegan's bottom lip puffed out before he opened his mouth and reached for the dirty magazines, "I wan, I wan!"

Pacey smiled and moved them out of his reach. "All in good time, Keegan. But for right now you just wouldn't understand if I gave them to you."

Keegan finally gave up on trying to get the magazines from his father as his eyes came across several CD cases in the tin box. They were all extremely worn and some even had displays on them not suitable for children – or _babies_ for that matter. There would definitely be hell to pay if Joey ever found out how Pacey was corrupting their innocent baby boy. But for right now, Pacey wasn't concerned about that.

Joey had already had too much of an influence on Keegan with this classical music crap, and it needed to be corrected. His son's manhood was on the line as well as his ability to attract women. It was his duty to expose his son to the workings of the inner male… And what better way to introduce this new concept to him than through music?

Keegan's hand gripped the first CD case he could get a hold of. Pacey quickly took it away from him, before he had a chance to stick it in his mouth.

"Let's see what we have here," he mumbled as he examined the front of the case. "Ahh, I see you like Ozzy, eh? Excellent choice… But if I may, I'd like to suggest something, a little more recent. Maybe something a little lighter to ease yourself into this new world of male angst. Then after that we can work our way back to Ozzy. What do you say, buddy?"

Keegan smiled as Pacey skimmed through the box until he found the CD he was looking for. "Perfect," he exclaimed with a smile, before standing up to insert the disk into his stereo.

As soon as he pressed the play button, the sounds of a rhythmic guitar, soon accompanied by the beat of the drums, filled the air around them. _Seether's_ the "Remedy" became audible in the background.

Pacey looked down at the baby to see what he thought of the new music, and saw a look of mild confusion on his face. He wasn't sure if he liked it just yet.

"Eh, it's not my favorite either," Pacey shrugged as he sat down on the floor across from Keegan. "After all it _is_ your mother's CD. I had to hide it from her after she wouldn't stop playing that awful 'Broken' song."

Keegan smiled and reached for the magazines on the floor as Pacey went on. "There are only so many times a man can listen to that kind of music before the lyrics start messing with your head. Remember that Keegan, my man. Sometimes you must take drastic measures to protect the sanctity of manhood. "

"You're teaching Keegan about the sanctity of manhood, Pace?" Joey asked from the doorway with her arms folded over her chest and a smirk on her face.

"Ma-maa!" Keegan squealed, bouncing up and down on his bottom as he saw his mother.

"Joey?" Pacey said in disbelief as he looked up at her in her white fleece jacket - her nose and cheeks were still red from the cold outside.

He quickly got up and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her in for a warm embrace. "What are you doing here?" he exclaimed excitedly as he twirled her around the room in his arms. "I thought you were in New York!"

She smiled as he put her back down. She looked into his eyes and gave him the reunion kiss that made her blood warm up rather quickly.

"I was, Pace," she murmured against his lips as she pulled away. Her eyes were sparkling as she explained, "But the fates have been stepping in, telling me to go home. And how can I argue with that?"

Pacey, who still had a firm grip on her waist, not willing to let her go just yet, looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, first Keegan got sick and I realized how much he needs me Pace, and I wasn't there for him. You have no idea how awful it was to sleep the last few nights knowing this fact."

"We survived Jo…" he answered in a warm voice, brushing back her hair. "_Barely_, but we made it."

"I know you did, Pacey. I never doubted you. I just want to be able to survive these things with you. I don't want you to do it alone."

Pacey smiled and quickly kissed the tip of her nose. "God I missed you, Jo."

Joey smirked, "As I did you, Mr. Witter."

"But what about your contract? You have to keep it Jo."

She shook her head. "I didn't sign it."

"What?" he asked confused. "Why didn't you? I thought this is what you wanted."

"No Pace. I've realized New York is _not_ what I want, it's you. It's always been you. Besides, I'll try to find a less demanding contract later on. But it will have to be _after_ I've completed my new project."

"Which is?"

Pacey observed the grin on her face and raised an eyebrow. He knew that look. It usually meant she was up to something.

"Well, you remember what told me you wanted to do before I received the letter in the mail at Christmas?"

Pacey nodded, not taking his eyes off of hers. He remembered it very clearly. He wanted to have another baby with her. "Yeah?"

"Well, I've decided that's what I want too, Pace. I want to have another baby."

"Are you pregnant?" he asked hopeful.

"Oh god no!" she answered too quickly. "At least I don't think I am."

"Oh… Well then what made you change your mind?"

Joey smiled, "I ran out of birth control in New York, Pace. I forgot to set up an appointment with my doctor, before I left, and I realized it's a sign. If we're going to have another child, now is the time to do it. I want to have your baby, Pacey. I want to give Keegan a little brother or sister."

A large grin spread across his face as he put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her deeply. He couldn't believe she was back and that he was holding her. It was so surreal. And on top of everything she wanted to have another baby with him. Something he thought would never happen.

"Wow Jo! This is amazing."

Joey nodded, "I know. So we're agreed, then? Our new project is baby number 2?"

"I can't think of anything better."

"Good."

"So shall we go upstairs, Mrs. Witter?" he asked with grin, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Perhaps get an early start on this new project of ours?"

"Later Pace," she answered with a pat on his chest. "Right now I want to see the baby we already have."

"Well by all means," Pacey said with a wry grin, stepping aside. "Don't let me stop you."

Joey looked down at her baby and quickly scooped him up in her arms. "Sweetheart, Momma missed you so much! Are you feeling better, baby? Did you get a tummy ache?"

Keegan grabbed a fistful of her hair and started bouncing up and down vigorously on her hip. "Ma! Ma!" he chatted with a toothy grin.

Joey pressed her cold nose up against his neck, making him squeal in delight. She had missed all the smells of her baby. She had missed his blues eyes and adorable dark wavy hair. It felt good to be reunited with him again.

As Joey was talking to their son, getting reacquainted, Pacey noticed the magazines scattered on the floor and quickly moved to pick them up before she spotted them. He wasn't fast enough.

"_Hustler_ Pacey!"

"Damn," he muttered under his breath as he realized he was too late.

"What are _Hustler magazines_ doing spread out all over this floor where Keegan can see? And why are they in my house?"

"Relax Jo," he answered softly, still gathering the remains. "They're all old. See?"

He held one up to her face, pointing to the date, but that is not what was catching her attention.

"Get it away from me!" she shouted turning around to leave.

"Oh you can't be mad about this Jo!" he called out as she began to climb the stairs with Keegan.

"Yes I can!"

"Well you're not exactly the _Virgin Mary_ here Jo," he replied with sarcasm.

She stopped and turned around with a nasty glare. "What is _that_ supposed to mean, Witter?"

"That means I know about your books, Joey."

"There is nothing wrong with my books! You've seen them all in my office. What's wrong with them?"

Pacey smirked. "I'm not talking about _those_ books. I'm talking about the books you hide in your drawer with your chocolate stash."

Joey glared at him. "You didn't…"

Pacey smiled, knowing he had won. "I've got one word for you, Jo: _Harlequin_."

Joey's face became flushed with embarrassment as she turned to see if her son recognized the incriminating word. His big blue eyes appeared confused as he looked between his mother and father, trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.

"Well, that's different Pacey!" she replied indignantly. "And you know it! Those books are pure romance and literature. But those-" she explained as she pointed towards the magazines he was holding, "Are just _vulgar_."

"Then why are you hiding them, Jo?"

"I never said I was."

"It was in your locked drawer."

"Yeah… and you care to explain how you found them."

Pacey shrugged. "It was an accident. It popped open when Jack and I moved your desk to the room upstairs."

Joey glared at him. "Well at least my books are secure Pace, where there is no chance of Keegan coming across them. But you-"

"Hey Jo," he interrupted with his hands up in defense. "I was just showing him the music, Jo. They just happened to be in there."

It was just a white lie… Nothing Joey could possibly understand if he tried to explain.

"Right, and you were overly concerned about getting them away from his eyesight," she replied mockingly. "If we ever have a daughter is she going to know about the magazines her father keeps downstairs like Keegan?"

"Absolutely not!" Pacey answered without hesitation.

"Then Keegan shouldn't know either!"

Pacey paused and thought about it for a bit. He was screwed. She had a point. "Fair enough," he finally conceded. "I'll just lock it up again."

Joey rolled her eyes and continued back up the stairs muttering something that sounded like, "Men," under her breath.

Oddly enough, Pacey was muttering something very similar to Joey, only it sounded a lot like the disgusted version of: "Women…"

Pacey gathered up the rest of his bachelorhood, from the floor in his office, and stuck the items back in the box for safe keeping. Truth be told, he would never want to go back to those days when he needed those magazines and the angsty music. But there would come a day when he would see that box again. It wouldn't be for many years though, but he knew it was a man's rite of passage.

He remembered taking those first precious glances at Playboy with Dawson when they were younger, and remembered how he had to steal them from his father's patrol car. It was a guy thing… Joey didn't understand it back then when she found Dawson's stash when they were 12, and she wouldn't understand it now as he was putting it away again.

Some things, were just meant to be left a mystery.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. I feel horrible! But I'll make sure to update sooner. I'm trying to figure out a new schedule for updates, since I'm now working on a third story (I'm crazy, I know! :P). **

**I just want to give a quick thanks to my awesome new beta Ant, who has been more helpful than she'll ever know! Also, I want to thank you guys for your patience and for sticking with me and this story! I hope you enjoy and have an awesome weekend!**

**Chapter Eight**

"Bye baby," Joey cooed to Keegan as she placed another set of kisses on his chubby cheeks and forehead. "I promise we'll be back tonight, okay? Be good for your aunt Bessie!"

Keegan squirmed in Bessie's arms not at all thrilled with the kisses his mother was planting all over his face. He looked relieved when Pacey merely patted him on the head.

"See you later buddy," he murmured with a wink as he nudged Joey out the door of the B&B.

"Have fun you two!" Bessie exclaimed from the doorway, waving goodbye. "He'll be fine here, you know… in case you want to leave him here all night… for any _particula_r reason… to get some work done… I'm sure Bodie and Alex won't mind."

Pacey smirked and looked at Joey accusingly. "You told her?"

Joey blushed and turned back towards Bessie, "We'll be back to pick him up tonight Bess, don't worry."

She stole one last glance back at her son before climbing into the passenger side of the jeep. Pacey got into the driver's seat.

"I can't believe you told your sister," Pacey teased as he started the engine.

"What?" she asked innocently as he began to drive away.

"You know very well what I'm talking about, Josephine," he answered with a grin.

"Are you mad?" she asked hesitantly.

Pacey laughed, "No… I'm just surprised, I guess. I never knew you tell Bessie things like that. You must really want to have another baby."

"Well… it just… it just kind of slipped out last night when I went out to dinner with them. You know, with Bessie, Gail, and Anne."

"Sure it did," he replied in disbelief. "When did it slip? When Bessie greeted you with a hello?"

Joey hit his shoulder and glared at him. "No! Of course not! They asked me if I wanted some wine and I passed on it. They know I'm not nursing Keegan anymore, so Bessie kind of jumped to conclusions."

"Ahh, so the _wine_ gave it away," he teased with a satisfied smile as they pulled onto the highway leaving Capeside.

Joey looked away. Her face was still tinted a deep crimson. "I never _technically_ admitted it, Pacey. But I did screw up and drink the wine after they pushed me for thirty minutes for answers. I had to do something to get them to be quiet."

"Don't worry about it Jo," he answered with a smile.

He knew she was worried about staying healthy for the new baby, to the point of watching everything she consumed. She really seemed like she wanted to do it right this time. But stressing about it wasn't good for a new baby either. Not that she was pregnant at this point… But these were still things to think about.

He let his hand rest on her thigh as he tried to ease her concerns. "Well, we've really only been trying for a couple weeks now, Jo… And doesn't it take awhile for the birth control to get out of your system?"

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly as she rested her hand on top of his.

"Oh well, if you are pregnant, I'm sure that little bit of wine you had didn't hurt anything. Look at all the women who drink before they even realize they're pregnant. They have perfectly healthy babies. And you rarely drink. So I just wouldn't worry about it, Jo."

She shrugged, watching the oncoming traffic as Pacey finally pulled onto the interstate heading for Boston. They sat in silence for awhile, listening to a CD, when Pacey changed the subject.

"Are you sure we need to buy another car?"

Joey rolled her eyes. "Yes Pacey. We've already talked about this. If I'm going to have another baby, I want my own car to be able to go places."

"But you can just use the jeep if you have to go somewhere," he replied logically.

"Sure, until you leave town again to check on the new restaurant in Maryland, leaving me with two kids and no vehicle in case of an emergency," she argued. "I want my own car!"

Pacey sighed. He wasn't against getting her a new car. In fact, he thought it was a great idea. It was just the fear that she was going to leave him again and go back to New York that made him hesitate.

"Really Pacey, I could have come by myself. I am perfectly capable of buying my own car. I have done this before."

"You've bought a car before?"

"Well… not a _car_ per se…" she conceded. "But I have rented plenty of them. Not to mention all the times I've borrowed Bessie's truck and your jeep. Buying one can't be all that difficult. I really didn't need your help today, Pacey. I would have been fine on my own."

"Oh really?" he taunted. "So you have one all picked out for yourself?"

"Yes," she answered without faltering.

"And what kind of car are we talking about here?"

"A nice one that runs," she answered sensibly. "Maybe something silver."

Pacey began to laugh. "Your definition of a 'nice car' is one that 'runs' and is the color _silver_? You have no particular make or year in mind?"

Joey scowled at him, unappreciative of his laughter. "I want something _newer_ and as for the make, when I see it, I'll know if I like it. That's all there is to it."

Pacey shook his head in disbelief, still laughing.

"Right," he teased, bringing her hand up to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. "Do you know how much I love you, Jo?"

"Apparently, well enough to laugh at me," she replied, un-amused.

"It's your stubbornness and determination that drives me crazy, Jo," he explained with enthusiasm. "It's your ability to go after the things you want regardless of how little you know about the subject. Like this car for instance… you know nothing about the year, make, motor, etc., yet you'll probably find the best one on the lot. It is for that reason sweetheart, that I love you."

"I'm not sure whether I feel flattered or insulted."

"Flattered Jo," he answered with a smile. "I would never insult your adorable knowledge of good 'silver-painted' cars."

Joey glowered at him, "Just drive Witter."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The large car lot seemed to have every possible shape, color, size, year, and make of vehicle imaginable. Glossy colored cars were located in the front row while the dull colored trade-ins were lined up in the back. At first glance, it was your typical, overzealous and _overrated_, car dealership. But for a woman who was thinking about vehicular independence, this place held all kinds of possibilities.

Pacey parked the jeep in front of the small glass door that read 'Entrance.'

Joey snickered as she read the cheesy Billboard sign:

"**Boston Bay Motors: _Massachusetts' best Deals on Wh__eels_**."

"Well that's original, Pace," she jeered with a smirk, pointing at the sign. "Is this where you bought the jeep?"

Pacey shook his head at her ridicule. "Just keep laughing, Jo. But you'll see they have the best prices around."

"Of course they do Pace. I read the sign, remember?"

"Well I'm happy you're still getting some good out of that education of yours, Sweetheart. Even after ALL these years…"

"Ha-ha," she deadpanned with an icy stare, making him smile.

And just like clockwork a salesman in black slacks and a shiny blue shirt stepped out to greet them. He immediately shook Pacey's hand with enthusiasm and introduced himself as 'Bob'.

He then took Joey's hand and exclaimed, "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Miss-"

"-Mrs." Pacey corrected before he could go any further.

"Why of course," the salesman replied, "Mrs…"

"Witter," Joey added in amusement.

"Ahh yes, Mrs. Witter, so what can I do for you good folks today?"

He turned to look at Pacey.

"Well my wife is under the impression that we need another car. So, I thought we'd stop by and see what you have."

"Great!" he exclaimed pointing to the first row. "Over here we have a nice selection of Impala's, Malibu's, and Cobalt's."

Joey looked fairly interested in some of the models, but Pacey didn't seem too impressed.

And as if Bob were reading Pacey's mind, he placed his hand on his back and stated excitedly. "Or maybe you're looking for something a little faster… with more horses perhaps?"

Joey shook her head, "I don't think so." But the salesman ignored her.

"Could I interest you in the new Corvette we just set on the lot two days ago?"

Pacey smiled and immediately veered over towards the shiny sports car like a magnet.

Joey rolled her eyes and followed.

"Mr. Witter, you are now looking at the classy Z06 Corvette, black on black, with 505 aggressive horses under her hood."

Pacey's eyes sparkled as he examined the interior. "She's beautiful man... Absolutely gorgeous."

"She is a beauty, Mr. Witter. Shall we take a look under the hood?"

Pacey nodded eagerly as Joey felt repulsed. He was staring at this _machine_ with lust in his eyes. It was absolutely nauseating. She wondered if he ever looked at _her_ like that. Probably not.

"Pacey, you're drooling," she exclaimed with disbelief, clearly un-amused.

He didn't hear her as the salesman opened the hood, exposing her engine.

Joey rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "We can't afford this, you know."

Again, he ignored her, too caught up in the essence of the car around him.

"Pacey."

He didn't respond.

"Pacey!" she said a little louder this time, but to no avail.

"Pacey Witter, if you don't take your eyes off your new mistress in 10 seconds I'm going to leave you."

He barely lifted his head up from under the hood and replied dumbly, "What Jo?"

She groaned, very frustrated. "Where are we going to put Keegan? In the trunk? And have you even looked at the price tag?"

"We are holding a special for all of our new, _qualified_ customers," Bob interrupted, trying to be helpful. "No money down and a 2000 dollar rebate after the first month."

"Yeah, I don't think 2000 dollars off the purchase price is going to help much," Joey answered bitterly.

"Calm down, Jo," Pacey responded with a smile, taking her hand to calm her. "I'm just looking."

"So you like the fast cars, eh Mr. Witter?" Bob asked with a gleam.

"Yeah," he answered, honestly. "Who doesn't?"

"Well you look like a man who can appreciate the classics."

"Sure, but what kind of classics are we talking about, here?"

"Well, I just happen to have a 68 Chevelle SS in the back, if you're interested in looking."

Pacey glanced at Joey skeptically, silently asking her for permission to look.

Joey sighed and relented. "Sure, why not."

"Great. I think you'll like it. It's a 396, four barrel carb, with four on the floor and synchronized gears."

Pacey let out a low whistle with this information, clearly impressed with the gibberish Joey knew nothing about. At this point Keegan would be more help finding a car than his father, for at least he would just go by her color theory.

When they finally reached the two door cherry hardtop, Pacey shook his head. "Damn… this makes me wish I would have never traded in my mustang."

"You had a mustang?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, she was a beauty. You remember her, Jo?"

"Yes Pacey," she mused. "I remember the mustang very well."

"Well would you be interested in taking this baby out for a spin?" Bob asked encouragingly, dangling the keys in front of Pacey.

"Nah," he answered quickly. "We really shouldn't. I mean, we really aren't interested in buying something like this… At least not until Keegan's through college and supporting his very grateful parents."

"Oh how sexy, Pace," she teased. "A fifty year old in an old, rusty car… I'm sure all the girls will be swooning."

"Don't hate on her just because your jealous, Jo."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Right, so that's why you've been throwing her nasty looks ever since we arrived."

"Why must you always refer to this _thing_ as a 'her'?"

"Because this 'thing' is much more than just a _thing_… She's very satisfying – in more ways than one, let me tell ya."

"Sure Pace…" she replied disbelieving.

"She is!" Pacey countered. "Let me take you out for a drive and if you're not convinced that she has special powers, I'll be quiet and let you pick out any silver car you want."

"Without any protests?" she quickly clarified.

"Without any protests."

"Fine."

"Well Bob, I believe I've changed my mind," Pacey exclaimed with a grin. "I'm gonna need those keys after all."

Bob smiled, handing them over. "Be gentle. I'm rather fond of her."

"No worries, I'll take it easy."

"Have fun!"

"Oh we will," Pacey assured him, smiling at Joey.

When Bob walked away, Pacey looked over at Joey. "Get in, Jo. I'm going to take you for a little ride."

She rolled her eyes, mumbling, "This ought to be interesting," as she got into the car.

When she was secured in her seat, Pacey started the engine with a quick twist of the key. Immediately she roared to life, humming at an idle pace.

"Ahh, would you just listen to that beautiful sound?" he teased.

"Just get on with it, Witter, so we can come back and I can find my silver car."

"As you wish, Jo," he grinned, pushing in the clutch and starting her in second. "How about we head for the highway and I can show you what she can _really_ do."

"Whatever Pace… I'm just along for the ride, remember?"

Pacey smiled and they pulled out onto the highway going out of town. He pulled off the main path and onto an older, less traveled road, where he was sure there would be no cops.

As they traveled up the long hill he stepped on the gas, successfully releasing some of the SS's powerful horses.

Joey fell back in her seat as the speed picked up, causing him to smile like he was fifteen again.

"How fast are you going, Pace?" she exclaimed in a panic as the trees went by her window way too quickly.

"Eh, the gage says 95 but I'm sure she can go much faster."

"NO! That's okay, Pace… I'd like to live to see my son enter Pre-school thanks."

"Where's your sense of freedom, Jo?"

"I think I lost it when I became a mother," she answered honestly, but also in amazement at how quickly the next town had sprung forth on them.

He started to slow down as they entered the small suburb with several street lights ahead.

"I don't believe you Jo. You've still got it. Other Joey is still in there somewhere… and let me tell you, SHE can appreciate the wind in her face and the freedom this car provides on the highway. Just relax long enough to let her come out."

"Pacey, I'll admit, this has been rather… _interesting_. But speed does nothing to make me feel free. It scares me. It scares the _hell_ out of me in fact."

"Well that's where you need to trust me, Jo. I'm not going to kill us, so just relax. Enjoy the ride."

Joey took a long, calming breath as Pacey stopped at the red light. He gently took her hand and brought it to his lips, soothing her without any words.

Just as Joey began to relax a little, a black car similar to the car they were currently sitting in, pulled up beside them. The engine next to them roared loudly and Pacey tensed. Joey looked over Pacey's shoulder and realized they were challenging him. That fear in the pit of her stomach came back with a vengeance and immediately she started to protest.

"Pacey, please don't-"

And before she could complete her thought, the light turned green and Pacey was popping the clutch, quickly running the gears.

Joey closed her eyes and held her breath as she felt the speed suddenly consume her. She heard the loud roar of two cars racing quickly down the road and opened her eyes when she felt them come to an abrupt halt at the next light.

"Pacey, have you completely LOST it?!" she snapped, trying to focus her vision and brace herself for the next take off.

"What? He challenged me, Jo! What was I supposed to do?"

"NOT ACCEPT!" she yelled as she recognized the taunting roar of the black car's engine again.

Pacey kept a steady eye on the lights ahead of him and his hand firmly on the shift below as he prepared to take off for another round.

"I mean it Pacey! Don't do it!"

"Damn it, Joey!"

"Pacey, please."

And just as he loosened his grip on the floor shift, the guy in the other car called out, "Hey cutie! Why don't you hop in here with me and I'll take you for a real ride!"

Pacey's jaw clenched and he turned to stare at the man threateningly.

Joey looked at Pacey in disbelief. "Did he just call me _cutie_?"

Pacey nodded, "And I believe he is offering you more than a ride."

Joey glared at the overly cocky blonde in the other car and spat, "Kick his ass Pace."

Pacey quickly turned his head back to look at his wife in surprise. "What?"

"Not physically, just beat him at this light. You said this car could do amazing things, now prove it."

Pacey raised an eyebrow and shifted in his seat, watching the light.

Joey closed her eyes the minute the light turned green and screeching tires was all she heard.

"Are we winning?" she asked above all the noise, fighting the fear that had enveloped her stomach.

Her answer came in the form of Pacey's victorious laughter. "You actually doubted me?"

"Well, no… I just…" she slowly trailed off as the flashing lights in her side mirror caught her attention. "Oh no…"

"Damn!" he cursed when he heard the siren of the cop car behind them and began to slow down.

"Oh great," she began sarcastically. "I just wanted to buy a car today and instead I'm going to have to pay for your ticket."

Pacey groaned, finally coming to a stop on the side of the highway. He rolled down his window, searching for his license and registration when the voice of someone familiar caught his attention.

"Well, well, well… I should've known where there is trouble my little brother wouldn't be far behind."

"Hey Dougie. You're looking particularly _dapper_ this afternoon. Out protecting the ol' highways outside of Capeside again?"

Doug smiled, "It is my job after all."

"Oh right. _The honorable Sherriff Witter_: following in his father's footsteps of harassing the menacing youth of Capeside after the old man kicked the bucket. How could I forget?"

"Pacey…" Joey intervened, taking his hand. She knew there was still tension between the two brothers over their father and was hoping he wouldn't get too carried away with his insults.

"No it's okay Joey," Doug answered, turning back to Pacey. "You know little brother, if it wasn't for your wife and my fondness for my nephew, I'd throw your punk-ass back in jail, just for the hell of it."

"Been there. Done that."

"You know Pacey, every time I think about giving you a warning for something that is clearly a couple hundred dollar fine, you open your mouth, and that fine just keeps getting higher. Now why do you suppose that is?"

"Because the word 'justice' isn't a word in your vocabulary?"

Doug seethed and took out a pen, writing on the ticket. He handed it over to Pacey for him to sign, once he was finished, and looked over at Joey.

"I'm only giving him this warning because of you and Keegan, Joey."

"Well thank you, Doug," she replied with a smile, before giving Pacey a stern look. "Pacey appreciates it too. Don't you, Pace?"

Pacey didn't answer and handed over the signed copy.

"Well have a nice day, Joey," Doug said brightly. "And Pacey, slow down."

Pacey muttered a few words under his breath and rolled up the window.

"Well I think that was very nice what he just did for you, Pace."

Pacey laughed sardonically, "Joey, he didn't do that for me. Didn't you hear the man? He gave me a warning for _you_."

"But Pace, I'm YOUR wife. Keegan is YOUR son. Both roads lead back to you."

"Jo, can we just not talk about this please?"

"I just want you to be happy, Pace."

"I AM happy, Jo. Trust me. Now that you're home and we're working on baby number two, my life couldn't get any better."

Joey sighed and gave up on the argument. This wasn't the time or place to be discussing old wounds.

"So are we ready to go back and find my silver car, yet?"

"Just as soon as you admit this car has special powers," he answered with a grin.

"I'll admit it, she's fast, but _speed_ isn't everything."

"Speed isn't all she has to offer," he answered knowingly.

"Oh really?"

"Mmhmm."

"So what other dazzling qualities does this _thing_ have to offer?"

"Well just think of this car as great foreplay, Jo."

She laughed, "For who? Me or _you_?"

"Oh come on, Joey! You can't tell me that sitting in this car, with her roaring engine and all that power under her hood, doesn't get you all hot and bothered."

"You're right," she teased, still laughing. "It does, just not in the ways that you think."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that," he replied with mischief in his eyes, leaning across the seat.

"What are you doing, Pace?" she asked warily as he began lavishing kisses across her neck and shoulder.

She felt him smile against her shoulder while his hand traced the curve of her hip down her thigh. Her breath hitched when he moved to the inside of her thigh.

"Pacey, we can't do this here."

"Sure we can," he whispered huskily in her ear.

"Uh, no Pace. I'm not big on audiences… remember? Besides, we need to get back with this car before Bob thinks we stole it."

Pacey groaned, "Right… _Bob_… But I think you should reconsider Bessie's offer of keeping Keegan for the night. It would be nice to make love to my wife without having to worry about my son interrupting us."

Joey bit her bottom lip, deep in thought. "Okay, fine. I'll ask Bessie if the offer's still available."

Pacey looked surprised. Obviously he didn't think he'd win her over that easily.

"Well okay then. Let's hurry and find you a car, Mrs. Witter. We have more important matters to attend to."

Joey smiled as Pacey quickly started the car, making it roar to life again.

"That we do."

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: In case I don't say it nearly enough, thank you for reading and reviewing! It truly means so much!**

**And again, I want to thank my beta, Ant, for helping me sort through my mess of ideas and coming together with a plot I'm hoping you all will enjoy! She has truly been amazing!**

**Well, I'll update ASAP! I'll try not to keep you guys waiting too long! Have a great week!**

**-Chapter Nine-**

Keegan's muffled laughter from another room sent a big smile to Pacey's face as he finished up his shower. He wished he could stay home longer that morning and enjoy his family, but Gretchen had called earlier saying she wouldn't be able to open up the restaurant. Caleb, her husband, had caught the flu along with Connor, their two-year old son, and she had to stay home and take care of them.

Thankfully the flu had already been through his family – at least where Keegan was concerned that is. So Pacey didn't mind filling in for Gretchen. After all, she had bailed him out numerous times this year and would probably have to so more in the future now that they were working on baby number two.

Pacey quickly grabbed the towel, hanging by the shower door, and wrapped it around his waist before stepping out. The bathroom was still steamy from the hot water and the mirror was fogged over so he could barely make out his reflection in the mirror.

He quickly brushed his teeth and fulfilled the necessary steps to look and smell decent for the day. Within fifteen minutes he was dressed and in the kitchen where Joey was feeding Keegan his morning cereal.

Pacey smiled and gently kissed her cheek, "Mornin' Sweetheart."

"Hey Pace," she replied merrily as she sent a spoonful of the cereal into Keegan's mouth.

"Daa-da," Keegan cooed in between mouthfuls of the cinnamon-flavored mush.

"Hey buddy. You're a happy little man this morning," he answered with a small pat on his head, before turning to Joey. "Laughter before seven AM… Isn't that a record of some kind?"

Joey smiled. "I think it is. Must be something in the cereal."

"Must be," he agreed, grabbing a cup of coffee, and settling at the table to glance through the morning paper.

"Hey Pace…?" she began in a tone he knew all too well. Anytime she used _that_ particular voice, it usually meant that she wanted something. Not that he minded her tone – or minded doing something for her - it was just something he had come to recognize over the years.

"Yeah?" he replied, barely looking up from the sports section.

"It's the 22nd today," she said eagerly, awaiting his reaction.

He barely looked up from the latest Bruins headline and mumbled, "Okay…" before he took a sip from his coffee.

"I'm late, Pacey," she said in a slightly irritated tone.

Now they were getting somewhere. He knew that tone of need would come into play soon. So she was late and needed him to watch Keegan.

"What time do you have to go?" he asked curiously, glancing at the clock. "I have to open up the restaurant in thirty minutes and I can probably get Sherri to watch Keegan while I set things up."

Joey shook her head. "I'm not late for an appointment Pacey. I'm _late_."

He looked at her strangely. She was going to have to be more specific than that.

"Well do you need me to take Keegan to work with me? What exactly are you late for?"

"Pacey!" she snapped irritably.

"What?"

"I'm not late to go anywhere. I'm _late_, late.. As in 'bun cooking in the proverbial oven' late."

"Oh! You're _late_…" he repeated as he finally understood.

She nodded with a smile, "Yes!"

"Hold on… Are you telling me that you're pregnant already?" he asked in disbelief, silently calculating just how quickly it had happened.

Her smile grew larger as she looked from Keegan to Pacey. "I don't know yet for sure. But I'm late."

"Well how late are we talking?" he questioned out of curiosity.

"One week," she beamed.

He thought about this for a minute and then stood up and shouted, "You're pregnant, Sweetheart! This is amazing!"

He quickly took her in his arms and twirled her around the kitchen.

She laughed as he spun her around. She was so happy that he was happy. She had been waiting all week to tell him, but didn't want to chance the possibility of her period starting only a few days late. But a week late was a pretty good indication that there was more going on with her body than just being "late."

After all, being on the pill for a year had made her very regular. So she was hoping this was more than just false hope.

"I can't believe how easy that was!" he exclaimed with excitement, gently setting her back on the ground for safe keeping.

"Well, I haven't confirmed it yet, but if you have time this morning, I thought I would take the test. What do you think?"

"Sweetheart, I have all the time in the world for this!"

"But I thought you had to be at the restaurant in thirty minutes?"

"That can wait. This can't," he explained as his hand settled on her abdomen.

Keegan began cooing gibberish, catching his proud parents' attention.

"Hey buddy! Guess what?" Pacey exclaimed excitedly, taking him out of his highchair. "You're gonna be a big brother soon! Are you excited?"

Keegan smiled and let his blue eyes drift towards his mother. His chocolate curls were getting longer now, falling just below his ear, giving him the "shaggy" look. He opened his mouth and pointed outside, towards the creek, unable to keep up with his father's new conversation.

"Wa-wa! Bo-boa," he said logically, making his father smile.

"I think the man wants to celebrate the new baby by going fishing," Pacey interpreted for him, as Joey kissed their son's chubby cheek.

"It's too cold, Pace. He'll get sick again."

"Yeah… you're probably right," he answered, shifting Keegan on his hip, so he was more comfortable. "Besides, we have that test to take this morning, right?"

Joey nodded, "Correct."

"And do you have one?" he asked suspiciously.

Again Joey nodded. "See… there are advantages to me having my own car. If I need to leave to buy a pregnancy test at 5:30 in the morning, I can, and you'd never even have to wake up."

Pacey smiled fondly at her, recalling that she had picked out the new Nissan Altima. She had even found the silver one she had been looking for that got great gas mileage. And from the sounds of it, it was already being put to good use. "Very true, Jo. Very true."

"So what are we waiting for?" he asked eagerly, bouncing Keegan up and down in his anxiousness. "Let's go take the test."

"So you're not going to try and take it for me this time, Pace?" she teased as they walked to their bedroom, recalling how he had mentioned taking it the day she found out she was pregnant with Keegan.

"Nope. Not at all," he answered reassuringly, settling on the bed with Keegan on his lap.

"Oh… well I'm sorry to hear that you've changed your mind on participating in this part of the process… I was hoping you'd want to contribute more to this pregnancy this time around."

"Nope Jo. I'm leaving that up to you," he teased. "I've fulfilled my obligations thus far. Plus I remember how much you enjoyed being pregnant the first time."

Joey rolled her eyes and shut the bathroom door, leaving Pacey in the same position as she had the first time around. Only this time, it was completely planned and he had a little buddy to sit there with him.

"So Keegan," he began in a serious tone. "What do you think you're mom's going to have for you? A little brother or sister?"

Keegan's tongue peeked out between his teeth as he appeared to be deep in thought. His rosy cheeks were beginning to tint a deeper shade of crimson with his effort and Pacey realized he was looking over at the blocks that were scattered in the corner of his playpen by their bed.

Sometimes Joey would put Keegan in there, in the afternoon, so they could nap together. That way she could be closer to him if he needed something.

But right now, that playpen looked like a lot more than just a napping place to Keegan. It looked like building fun 101 with all those colorful blocks, calling his name… Not to mention the awesome little men that came in a package with said group of blocks.

Yep, this morning was all about the play for Keegan. For all he knew, a brother or sister could mean his next set of toys.

"All right, Ry," Pacey said with a smile. "Blocks it is this morning. After all, if your mother is pregnant she's going to need the rest this morning."

Just as Pacey set the happy baby in his playpen, Joey came out with a smile.

"Is it done?" he asked eagerly.

She shook her head, "Not quite… Two minutes, Pace."

He couldn't contain his happiness and quickly moved to hold her again. He wrapped his arms around her middle and urged her close against his body. The heat that emanated between them was fiery and passionate. Much like one of the many nights when they had tried to conceive baby number two.

He let his hand reach up and touch her cheek as he said softly, "I love you, Mrs. Witter."

She smiled and responded with a kiss, placing her hands around his neck and deepening the kiss. There was nothing like the news of an impending birth that made them feel alive together.

As Pacey slowly moved away from her, he realized just how amazing she was. Her beauty was amazing. Her intellect was amazing. Her _body_ was amazing.

The fact that she could carry not just one, but two of his children in there, was absolutely mind boggling. Although she wasn't carrying them both at the same time, he was fascinated at how she could give life. His part in that miracle seemed so small in comparison to hers. Without her, none of this would be possible. He was completely humbled by her.

"I think it's time," she whispered gently, bringing his concentration back to the test in the other room.

"Do you want me to check it this time?" she asked gingerly, recalling how he was the one who had looked with Keegan.

Pacey shook his head. "Maybe we can look together?"

Joey seemed satisfied with that answer and took his hand to guide him to the bathroom.

When they got there, the small white stick was lying face up on the counter. He was starting to get nervous as they approached the small life changing device.

As his eyes fell upon the lonely blue line across the results box, he realized what it meant.

"Oh…" Joey said in surprise, releasing his hand to pick up the stick.

She calmly examined it in disbelief.

"Is it..?" Pacey began, sure he knew the answer, but wanting to check just in case.

Joey nodded, her face pale, and showing her disappointment. "It's negative."

Pacey ignored the stinging sensation in his chest and immediately forced a smile. "Hey that's okay, Jo. We didn't really think it would happen this fast, did we?"

Joey quickly turned away and didn't answer. When she finally turned around, Pacey saw tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Pace… I just thought…"

"No Joey," he interrupted, gently wiping away the remnants of her disappointment from underneath her eyes. "It just wasn't meant to happen this month. There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Should I take another one?" she asked, suddenly encouraged. "It came in a pack of two."

Pacey smiled uneasily. "I'm not so sure if that's a good idea," he answered honestly, taking her hand.

"Why not?" she asked indignantly. "You don't think I can handle it, do you?"

"I think you're disappointed right now, Sweetheart. You're disappointed just like I am."

Joey let out a sarcastic huff. "Right… I knew you were disappointed in me. I knew you would be upset with me if this didn't happen right away."

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Because we've been going at it like rabbits since I got back from New York… Since I ran out of birth control… And yet, I'm not pregnant."

"Joey, I would never be disappointed in you," he answered sternly, softly caressing her cheek. "I may be disappointed in the situation – yes. But never in you. Don't take this so personally. This part of the equation has just as much to do with me as it does you."

Joey sighed, "Well I'm taking the second test."

Pacey glanced down at his watch, checking the time to make sure he had plenty of time to stay.

"You can leave, Pacey," she said angrily, as he looked up. "After all, this really isn't all _that_ important… The first one came back negative, so why would the second one be any different? It's not like there could have been a mistake or anything."

He heard the painful sarcasm in her voice and silently cursed himself for checking the time. He didn't know it was going to set her off like that. "Jo, I can stay. I have time. Just go ahead and take it."

Joey shook her head with another set of tears in her eyes. "Just go, Pacey."

"No," Pacey replied with vigor. "I'm not leaving you until I know you're okay."

"I'm fine Pacey. You don't need to be so valiant all the time. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Damn. He just couldn't do or say anything right at this moment.

"Joey, I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself right now and I'm most certainly not trying to be valiant. I can see that you're hurting and I want to help. That'all… I swear."

With that he pulled her into his arms, holding her close, even though she was reluctant.

"Come here, Sweetheart," he murmured lovingly into her ear. "We'll have another baby soon. Maybe not this month, or the next… But one of these days, we'll take this test and there will be two lines. And then you can be upset at me for causing you to have morning sickness again. But until that day, we can celebrate the fact that we already have one, and relish in the times where we get to work on the second one."

He pressed an easy kiss to her forehead as she buried her face in his shoulder. He let his hands affectionately caress her back with shapes of hearts and circles. He felt her body convulse a few times with her tears. He just wished he could make her feel better.

"I love you, Jo."

She sniffled a few times and lifted her head. She wiped her eyes and said thickly: "I want to be alone now, Pacey."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Okay, Jo. But don't ever forget how much I love you, okay?"

She started to smile. "I won't and I love you too, Pace."

He gave her another languid kiss, before leaving the bathroom, and leaving for work.

As he finally settled in the restaurant, he looked over at Keegan who was playing with his light-up center in the corner of his office, and finally let out his own disappointment.

He held his face in his hands and sighed. He hadn't expected that test to come back negative. He shouldn't have gotten so excited about the fact that she was late. This was a regular occurrence for most women, right?

But it just seemed so exciting when she told him that she might be pregnant this morning. He was just so sure it was going to happen this morning, when it wasn't. He just wished he could take it all back and react a little differently.

The look on Joey's face when she saw the single blue line on the stick made his heart constrict. He shouldn't have gotten her hopes up so high. He just thought a second pregnancy would happen quickly again, just like the first time. The possibility of it being negative never really crossed his mind.

As he glanced at the beautiful picture on his desk of Joey holding Keegan, in the NICU, a few days after he was born, he realized he had to be strong for her. No matter how disappointed he was right now, he could never let her see it. He just hoped that she would be okay.

He quickly picked up the phone and began to dial the seven digits he hadn't used in a few months.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Joey shut the door to the bathroom, once he had left, and sank to the floor in her misery. How could she explain this? She was exactly one week late and not feeling any of the symptoms to make her think she was going to start her period soon. But then again, she didn't feel any symptoms that made her think she was pregnant again either.

She looked up at the counter where the white stick was peeking out off the edge of the sink in a mocking position. The blue box was nearby, just as taunting, and she resisted the urge to throw it.

But then she went back to her original idea. Maybe she should take the other one? After all, these tests make mistakes all the time, right? Taking the second test would not only be smart, but responsible as well.

She slowly got to her feet and grabbed the second test. It wasn't long before she had completed her part in the process and was waiting another minute for the results. When the little beep from her watch made it clear that it was time, she closed her eyes, and was suddenly afraid to look.

What if there had been a mistake and she really was pregnant? Joy slowly crept into her heart making her anticipate the best. She opened her eyes, expecting to see two, strategic pink lines in the result box, when the single blue one glared back up at her instead. _Negative_.

This time it didn't take long for her tears to fall again. She felt sick. Maybe it was the wine she had with Bessie, Anne, and Gretchen the other night at dinner. What if that had prevented her from getting pregnant?

No. That's just silly. If wine prevented pregnancy, then the birth control industry would be out of business.

She angrily took the two tests that were laughing at her and her childlessness and threw them away. She decided she couldn't mope around in the bathroom all day and opened the door.

She naturally glanced over at Keegan's playpen in the corner of the room and saw that he wasn't there. She looked to the bathroom door and saw the note from Pacey.

_'Jo-_

_I took Keegan to work with me. I figured you could use some alone time right now. If you need anything, call. I'll be _

_home early tonight. I love you, Joey. We'll get through this._

_-Pacey'_

She closed her eyes and felt guilty for the way she had snapped at him earlier. She was just so worried about him being upset with her that she had unintentionally taken out her frustrations on him. She would apologize to him later about that.

She carefully took the note off the door and stuck it in her pocket for safe keeping when the doorbell rang. She had no clue who would be at the door this early in the morning. They rarely received visitors before noon and especially on a weekday.

She slowly opened the front door to reveal a delivery man with a dozen perfectly shaped yellow roses in a crystal vase.

"Mrs. Witter?" the young male asked curiously, looking down at the paper in his left hand.

Joey smiled, "Yes… that's me."

"Well then, these are for you. Special delivery," the young man explained, handing over the beautiful flower arrangement. She inhaled deeply the scent of fresh roses and immediately felt at ease.

"Sign here, please," the man asked diligently, pointing to the x and a line.

She placed the flowers down on the counter, in the kitchen, before signing the pink slip.

"Thank you, Ma'am… and have a lovely day."

"You too…" Joey replied smiling, before she shut the door.

She quickly returned to the sight of her new delivery and examined the note peeking out between the stems.

"_Joey,_

_I know this morning was disappointing and I'm sorry I had to leave you. I hope you'll accept these roses as my formal apology and I look forward to spending some time with my wife tonight. I called Bessie and she agreed to take Keegan for the night, so plan on some dinner – with a little dessert. I love you, Jo._

_-Pacey_"

She took out the card and read through his note a second time, feeling her heart flutter with each loving word.

He would be home early tonight and they would have the evening all to themselves. Her mind began to daydream about all the things they could do together. Strawberries, candles, bubble baths, and massages all drifted through her mind. She would show him just how much she loved him and how much she wanted to have his second baby tonight.

But before she let her thoughts get too carried away, she realized she still had a job to do.

Thankfully, her time in New York, trying to pursue her dream as a writer, didn't interfere with her current status as one of the offsite editors for _Booktastic Publishing_. She was able to resume that position, after she got back from New York, with no problems whatsoever. And today was the day she was going to work with a new author.

Her "regulars" had been switched around a bit and now she was working with only a single novel this time. This happened from time to time with the more popular authors in the company and she had done it before, but it was still kind of hard to go back to being an idea generator and human spell checker, when all she wanted to do was write for herself...

But she would put those feelings aside, giving the new author her undivided attention. It's what she had signed up for after all.

She took one last glance at her beautiful bouquet of roses on the counter, before leaving the kitchen for her office.

As she settled at the computer, she sighed, hoping her dream as a writer would come true one day. As much as she loved being a mother, days like today made her feel miserable. She just wanted to give Pacey another baby so badly that she felt like she was failing him when she wasn't able to get pregnant right away. It was his dream, after all, to have a bigger family. She just hoped she could make it come true soon so she could work on her own dreams...

As she studied the list of names in her e-mail inbox, one in particular popped out at her. It was a name she hadn't thought about in years... She almost thought she was imagining it. Déjà vu quickly settled in as she clicked on the name to reveal his note.

"_Hey Joey,_

_Long time, no talk. Word on the street is you're a housewife now with a little rugrat to boot. I guess Petey got the girl after all, eh? Well, all things considered, I'm happy for you. You're finally living your dream. It's just too bad it wasn't with me… but I digress. _

_Well, now that we have all that awkward "catch-up" out of the way, you'll be happy to know that my old editor – the one who filled in for me after you so blatantly refused to work on my novels anymore – has quit. I'm told that _you_ are the only one who can help me now. So I guess we'll be working together once again. It'll feel like old times, I'm sure..._

_But I must ask: Are Wednesdays at eight still off limits to you? Does that meaningless soap still possess you as much now, as it did back in New York? Or now that you've got your boy, have you been able to put that saga to rest? Just curious…_

_I'll be talking to you soon. Capeside is but a mere hour away from me now. So I can expect we'll see a lot of each other again. _

_The one you left with a broken heart,_

_Christopher_"

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	10. Chapter 10

**-Chapter Ten-**

Joey stared at the screen in disbelief. Christopher? _He_ was the new author she had to work with very closely for the next few months? _He_ was the man that her boss had told her was currently on the "New York Times" _Best Seller_ list?

She knew he was good, but she didn't know that he was _that_ good. They really had lost touch over the years… much to her relief. She just couldn't believe it was really him. That she would have to work with him again.

She read over his words a few more times and sure enough… It was Christopher. The man she had given four years of her life to back in New York. The man she had once considered spending the rest of her life with and having children with.

This wasn't happening. Christopher was in her _past_ and was supposed to remain there. That's why she had told her boss, a few years ago, that she couldn't work on his novels anymore. As soon as Pacey popped back into her life, Christopher ceased to exist. Those four years with him had literally disappeared from her memory and the future with her true love was all that mattered now.

But now she had to work with him again?

No. She wouldn't do it. She would refuse, just like she did the last time. She had her own family to consider now. Not to mention Pacey… She could only imagine his reaction to the news that she would be working with her former lover again.

That thought was enough to make her pick up the phone and call Sandy, her boss, in a record breaking time of a few seconds. She would get this straightened out. She had to. Christopher was not allowed back into her life anymore. Those kinds of complications wouldn't help anything.

"Joey! Hi! Did you get the chance to talk to Christopher this morning?" Sandy's voice answered excitedly on the other end of the phone. She must have read Joey's mind.

"Uh… yes, yes I did actually," she hesitated. "That's why I'm calling. I just wanted to-"

"-Oh no need to thank me, Joey," Sandy interrupted, enthusiastically. "You deserve to be a part of this project. It's big you know? This could really put your name out there for when your own novel gets published!"

Joey held her breath, "What?"

"Yes, Christopher heard all about your book and wanted to help. That's why he specifically asked for _you_ to be his editor. That way, when he starts touring, you can be a part of it with your book."

Again, Joey was speechless. "What?"

"Oh Joey," her boss laughed. "You didn't actually think this would be the end of your publishing dreams, did you? We wouldn't let your book go without a fight! And Christopher was more than willing to help."

"So this has more to do with _me_ and _my book_, than it does with Christopher?" Joey asked confused, trying to piece together the missing parts of the puzzle. This just wasn't making any sense.

She heard Sandy's intake of breath. "Well yes and no. Don't underestimate Christopher's novel. It's very special and requires one of my top editors to be on the case. It's just an added bonus that you have your novel coming out too."

"But it's not going to be published with _Tree House_. I didn't sign the contract."

"I know and thank god! But didn't you receive our offer, Joey? We sent it nearly a week ago."

"No I didn't," she answered weakly. "But you know the situation with Keegan, Sandy. I can't go on the book tour… Well at least not for months at a time. And I won't move. That's why I rejected the last offer."

"Oh I know," she replied eagerly. "That's why Christopher is so important in this contract. You see, he's offered to work close enough with your book that he can promote it for you when you need to be home with your family. He seemed very enthused about working with you again. You're very lucky, Joey."

Joey bit back the groan that threatened to escape her lips as she asked, "So then, that's the deal? You're offering to publish my book as long as Christopher is a part of it?"

"Technically yes. But Joey, we can work something else out if this isn't what you want. We're not letting this book go without a fight."

Joey visibly relaxed and was ready to say it wasn't, when Sandy interrupted.

"I just think right now that Christopher is your best bet. His name will do nothing but bring good things to your book – and what an honor that he would do this for you! You should really call him and thank him for his generosity."

Joey tensed again. "Yeah.. sure."

"Well Joey, I hope you'll seriously consider our offer."

Joey closed her eyes, muttering, "I will" into the phone, before saying goodbye.

She brought her hand to her forehead and cursed under her breath. She finally had a tangible offer for her book and she wouldn't be able to do it because of Christopher. The cost was too high. Going to New York was a mistake and she wouldn't put her family through that again.

Just as she flirted with the idea to go lay down, the phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Christopher.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Joey smiled as she felt Pacey's arms envelop her waist from behind. She was in the kitchen, working on dinner, when he surprised her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Smells good, Jo," he whispered huskily, close to her ear, making her shiver.

Joey turned around in his arms and replied, "Why thank you, Mr. Witter. I thought it was about time that I reclaimed this kitchen as my own."



He smiled in amusement, pretending to search the kitchen for any signs of disaster. "Well, the house is still firmly intact, so I'd say your claim was successful."

Joey rolled her eyes and turned back to the food on the stove. "You better watch it Witter. You never know what poisons under the sink might accidentally find their way into your food."

"Nah, you wouldn't poison me."

Joey raised an eyebrow, "And how can you be so confident?"

"Because you love me."

Joey shook her head, "Nah, that's just a rumor."

"Oh really?" he asked, releasing his grip on her waist. "And who would start such a dangerous story like that?"

Joey smiled, loving the fact that she was getting a rise out of him. "Well there's this little boy who kind of looks like you… Big blue eyes, adorable wavy hair."

Pacey grinned fondly at the thought of his son, "I think I've heard of this kid and his dashing good looks… But continue…"

"Well, I think he might have mentioned something to his aunt Bessie about his mother liking his father, but he was completely mistaken. See his father bugs me."

Pacey laughed and let his hands fall to her waist. "The bastard."

Joey looked at him sternly, "Excuse me?"

"Well what man in his right mind would bug you?"

Joey smiled, "Good point. But he's been doing it for years."

"Well I for one, can think of numerous other things I'd rather be doing with a beautiful woman such as yourself, than annoy her."

Joey let her hands rest on his shoulders in intrigue, silently appreciating the hard muscles underneath. "And what other things would that include?"

"Well for starters, there would be no talking."

Joey closed her eyes as he kissed the tip of her nose and then the other cheek.

"Well that's a bit of a problem," she teased, "because I refuse to be quiet."

"Oh the world would literally stop spinning if you were ever mute, Josephine," he countered with a smirk, kissing every part of her face except the one spot where he knew she wanted it.

"And the world would stop spinning if you ever learned to kiss properly," she replied in frustration of the torment from his lips.

Pacey froze and leaned back to look at her suspiciously. "Are you questioning the talent of my lips?"

She smiled, leaning closer, "I'm just saying that you're a lot of talk and no action, Witter."

Pacey grinned and pulled her tight against his body. He leaned in and began to kiss her properly, sensually. When he released her, she was smiling thoughtfully.

"Thank you, Pace."

His thumb gently grazed her cheek. "No. Thank you."

Pacey moved out of her arms and sat on the stool closest to the counter to watch her finish their meal. He looked down after a while and gingerly studied all the patterns on the surface of the counter as his mind drifted to another place.

Joey noticed this and let her mind drift to the phone call she had received as well. She turned the meat on the skillet once more before saying, "Um Pace."

He immediately looked up. "Yeah Jo?"

"We need to talk."

Pacey looked towards the back door where the creek was visible through the glass sliding doors. "Yeah I suppose we do."

Joey opened her mouth to say something when he interrupted.

"Jo, I need to tell you something."

She leaned back against the counter in surprise. She wasn't expecting that tone from him.

"What?"

He looked up, hesitant, clearly feeling torn about something.

"What is it, Pacey?"

He sighed and stood up, walking toward the sliding doors. "I know this probably isn't the best time after what happened this morning with the pregnancy test. And I know I promised you we'd try again right away. But…" He paused and stopped in front of the window.

"But?" she urged, studying his every move.

"But I'm leaving tomorrow."

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Again, sorry for the delay! Thanks to Melissa for the kick I needed to get this update out. :) I hope you guys like it! As always, I look forward to your reviews! Have a wonderful week!**

**Misty**

**-Chapter Eleven-**

The house was just as he had imagined it: two stories painted a pure white with navy trim. The soft light from the evening sun tinted the creek a sparkling orange-grey, which flowed freely in the background. The green grass all around the yard was soaring high and needed to be trimmed soon. The circular gravel road that outlined the driveway was a simple, yet much needed touch to the beautiful home. In general, everything seemed to be in its proper place on this perfect property. All that was missing was the white picket fence and maybe a swing set in the back.

As he thought about the pack of cigarettes in his glove box – the cigarettes he had been trying to quit for 2 years now – he wondered why he was here. What had made him want to see _her_ again. This kind of torture was usually reserved for murderers, convicts, and terrorists. Not for brooding writers, such as himself, with a tame past.

But he had brought all this pain upon himself. In fact, he had gone to a lot of trouble getting to this point. To the point where he could see what she had left him for – what she left _their life_ for. This question had both haunted and tormented him for the past three and a half years. He deserved answers and he was going to get them.

He graciously licked his lips and muttered a few unintelligible words under his breath as he finally got the courage to open his car door. His briefcase was still in the back and he had no intention of bringing it out just yet. At least not until he could come up with some answers.

He hesitated only once before he finally shut the door and moved slowly towards the large oak entrance. Two white pots sat on either side of the front door with red Begonia's growing vigorously inside.

She had always had a green thumb and insisted on their apartment being filled with the allergy-filled parasites. It was only when she had left that he realized how much the green had lifted his spirits in their home.

He lifted his closed fist to knock boldly on the door. It was time to see the woman who had broken his heart without a second thought. The woman who had married another man too quickly after their break-up. The woman who had been lingering in his thoughts for years after leaving numerous questions and nothing but heartache.

The door opened slowly and it was only when he got his first scent of her – warm, _sweet_ lavender - that his breath hitched.

"Hello Christopher," she greeted him half-heartedly, with a meager smile on the side of her lips.

"Josephine Potter," he answered deeply as his eyes traveled over her curvaceous body; curves he barely recognized.

Her chocolate hair was mussed into a loose bun behind her head. Her navy t-shirt hugged her loosely, yet was unable to mask the marvelous curves around her chest and hips. The grey sweats she wore clung tight to her toned abdomen and luscious thighs.

Yes indeed, Josephine Potter was seductive in all forms of the word. She had changed and aged well since he had last seen her. He wasn't sure how long he had been gaping at her exquisite form but her unpleasant cough let him know that he was being too obvious.

"Well are you going to make a fellow stand out here all night or does this place have an indoors too?"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Joey rolled her eyes at his attempt at sarcasm and motioned for him to come inside. She really wished she hadn't agreed to this meeting when he had called her early this morning, but she knew it was unavoidable. It was best just to get this reunion over with so she could set some ground rules and move on with her life.

She guided him through the living room, to the kitchen, where Keegan was playing in his playpen. His bright blue eyes, one of the many gifts from his father, lifted from his toy cars as he saw the dark stranger enter the room. Christopher studied him in mild surprise.

"So this is the kid, huh?"

Joey lifted Keegan to her hip and instinctively moved his brown curls away from his eyes. "Yes, this is my son, Keegan," she answered fondly, smiling at her baby boy for comfort.

Christopher studied the small baby for a moment, deep in thought, before he asked: "How old is he?"

Joey turned to him and replied without hesitation, "Sixteen months."

He simply nodded in acknowledgement, before looking down at his hands. Awkward didn't even come close to describing the tension in the room.

He finally looked up. "So you're a mom now…"

Joey smiled at the title he had given her and looked back at Keegan, swaying her hips in a gentle motion to keep him calm. "That I am."

"So where's the father?" he asked blatantly, looking around.

Joey glared at him harshly, "He's away on business right now, why?"

He shrugged, "No particular reason. Just interested in meeting the charmer who tamed Joey Potter."

"Witter," she corrected.

"Hmm?"

"My last name is _Witter_ now," she clarified as Keegan's bottom lip puffed out while he studied the stranger in his kitchen.

"Well excuse me. It's been what…? _Three years_ since I've seen you last?" he answered snarky. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't keep up on the life and times of Josephine… _Witter_."

Keegan shoved his thumb into his mouth and looked up at his mother. He could feel the tension in her embrace and was starting to get uneasy.

"Did you come here to work on your book or did you come here to rehash something that is best left where it belongs – in the _past_?"

Christopher let out a sarcastic breath and closed his eyes. He pinched the bridge between his eyes and fought the urge to argue with her. She was the only woman who could reach under the surface of his skin and make his blood rise to a boil. Their fights had always been infuriating, painful, and _passionate_. Three emotions that had surfaced the moment she gave him her signature glare. She was unbelievably sexy and it was turning him on.

"Look Jo, do you want to go out and have a few drinks? Get out of this place for awhile before we start round two of this_ tantalizing_ conversation?" he spat, frustrated. "I've been on the road _all day_ and I would really like to unwind for awhile before we get to work."

Joey sighed, keeping a steady pace as she rocked Keegan on her hip.

"That wouldn't be a good idea," she mumbled under her breath, mainly to herself.

However, he heard every word, and smirked. "What? The hubby doesn't allow you to go out with co-workers? You can't be serious? The Joey Potter_ I knew_ would have _never_ let someone stop her from visiting with old friends."

"Well we aren't exactly _just_ 'old friends' now are we?" she quipped with the raise of her brow.

"You're really serious," he continued, feigning shock. "He won't let you go out and have a few drinks with me, will he? What an a—"

"HEY!" Joey interrupted, protectively covering Keegan's ears. "That's enough! You don't know Pacey and you don't know the circumstances."

Christopher's mind seemed to be elsewhere as Joey continued mumbling her dissatisfaction at his recent choice of words. Suddenly, it hit him.

"He doesn't know I'm here, does he?"

Joey's eyes enlarged. "What…? Well, yes… Sure he does!"

Christopher smiled, knowing she was never a good liar. "You didn't tell him about me, did you?"

"Oh he knows about you-"

"-Yeah… the _past_, I'm sure…" he interrupted. "But what about the here and now? Does he know that you let me into your house while he's away?"

Joey appeared flustered and put Keegan down by his cars again. "I really don't see how this is any of your business."

"It's not," he conceded. "I just find it _interesting_… that's all."

Just then, the phone rang, and Joey jumped in surprise completely unaware of how tense she was becoming. She gave him one last sigh, mumbling 'I'll be right back' before she left to go grab the phone in the living room.

Christopher decided to take this opportunity to examine Keegan a little closer. He took a few cautious steps towards the baby and looked down at him. He had dark hair like Joey, but that seemed to be the _only thing_ she had given him.

Keegan stopped rolling around his big red truck and looked up at the stranger. Again, he puffed out his bottom lip in concentration, studying the man who had changed his mother's attitude from happy to tense within seconds.

"So… do you talk, kid?" Christopher asked gruffly – his best attempt at a baby voice.

Keegan furrowed his brow, not comprehending, and got up on his hands and knees. This new stranger was definitely making him uncomfortable and he felt the sudden need to escape. He began to crawl towards the exit his mother had just taken.

"Hey, wait a second," Christopher began irritably. "Where are you going?"

Keegan stopped crawling and looked up at the man who was towering over him. He hesitated and looked around at his options - they weren't good. Suddenly his bottom lip began trembling while his eyes got wide.

"No, no, no…" Christopher began in a panic, trying to figure out what to do next to stop the onset of tears obvious in the little boy's blue eyes.

"Don't cry, kid. Please don't cry," he pleaded in a bit of a panic.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Hey Joey!" Anne's cheerful voice greeted her on the other end of the phone. It had been about a week since she had talked to the feisty blonde who had married her best friend and "soul-mate." Anne and Dawson had been staying in Capeside a lot more since Kelsey was born. Both Dawson and Anne felt that LA wasn't the place they wanted their daughter to be raised, so consequently, the beach house became their new home. Fortunately for Joey, it meant that her friends were closer and Keegan had a new playmate.

Joey sighed, still upset by her recent conversation with Christopher. "Hey Anne…"

Immediately, her blonde friend picked up on the frustration in her voice and became concerned. "What's wrong, Joey?"

"Nothing…" she said aloud, fighting the urge to say 'everything' instead. "I'm just working."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

Anne accepted her brief explanation, "I see… so this probably isn't the best time to ask if Kelsey and I can come over?"

Joey's heart lifted with the possibility of an easy out away from Christopher. "No, actually, this is the _perfect_ time to come over."

"Are you sure?" Anne hesitated, "It's just Dawson's out of town working on _The Creek_ and this beach house is beginning to close in on me and there are only so many times I can leave Kelsey with her aunt Lily and Grandma."

"No, no… this is perfect!" she assured her. "Pacey's in Maine working with the Richardson's on the new restaurant."

"Oh, so you're alone too, eh?"

Joey smiled uneasily. Technically she wasn't, but Anne was talking about their _husbands_, not _business associates_ (or former lovers).

"I am," she replied. "So how quickly can you get here?"

Anne murmured something about gathering Kelsey's diaper bag as Joey interrupted enthusiastically.

"So you can be here in ten minutes?"

Anne laughed. "Woa! A little eager there, huh Joey?"

Joey looked back towards the kitchen and could see Christopher's shadow dancing against the maroon wall in her kitchen. Again, she sighed.

"I'll just expect that you'll get here soon, right?"

Anne laughed, "Yeah… I'll hurry."

Joey nodded and replied, "Good."

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

She hesitated, finally feeling herself cave, "Actually Anne… do you remember… um… you remember when I told you about living in New York? Well, he's here."

"Who's there?"

"Christopher."

"Who's Christopher?"

Joey closed her eyes, "Remember the guy I was with before Pacey?"

There was a brief silence before Anne's sigh of acknowledgement filled the phone. "Ohhhh!"

"Yeah…"

"Oh Joey… does Pacey know?"

Joey winced, "I tried to tell him… really I did! We just got… _sidetracked_."

A crimson blush tinted her cheeks as she remembered the last conversation with Pacey.

"_Jo, I need to tell you something."_

_She leaned back against the counter in surprise. She wasn't expecting that tone from him._

"_What?"_

_He looked up, hesitant, clearly feeling torn about something._

"_What is it, Pacey?"_

_He sighed and stood up, walking toward the sliding doors. "I know this probably isn't the best time after what happened this morning with the pregnancy test. And I know I promised you we'd try again right away. But…" He paused and stopped in front of the window._

"_But?" she urged, studying his every move._

"_But I'm leaving tomorrow."_

"_That's it?" she asked with relief._

_He looked at her suspiciously. "Yeah…"_

"_Oh… by the way you were acting I thought it was more serious than that," she explained softly, moving to wrap her arms around his chest for comfort. He accepted her affection with open arms as she pressed her lips to his collarbone._

_He held her tightly and whispered against her forehead, "I don't want you to be upset about this Jo, because I tried to get out of it… I really did… But our grand opening in Maine is in _two weeks_ and even Emma's going up there with the kids to help out."_

"_Do you need me to go up there, too?" she asked lifting her brown eyes to meet his. "I can ask Bessie – or even my dad – to watch Keegan."_

"_No," he answered promptly and with a smile, rubbing circles on her back with the tips of his fingers. "We'll be fine. I just have to leave early in the morning."_

"_When will you be back?"_

"_I'm hoping to be back by Friday."_

"_Five days?" she asked, trying to bite back her disappointment._

_Pacey grimaced and held her tighter. "I'll try to be quicker than five days."_

_He kissed her cheek for reassurance, sending chills through Joey's stomach. _

_She shivered. Pacey smiled._

"_You liked that, did you?"_

_Before she could answer, he did it again, only lowering his hands down to the curve in her back and biting lightly on her neck. Joey closed her eyes, clearly putty in his hands._

"_Have I told you how particularly _amazing_ you look this evening, Mrs. Witter?" he asked huskily, continuing his ministrations on her back and breathing heavily on her neck and shoulder._

That was the last thing she wanted to recall as she felt her face warm up. It was such a shame that he had to leave so early that morning, but he would be back soon… and maybe, just maybe, she could solve this new Christopher problem without having to concern Pacey with it.

A loud holler and Keegan's sudden crying interrupted her thoughts.

"What the --?" Anne exclaimed loudly. "What's wrong?! Is Keegan okay?"

"I have to go!" Joey stuttered, looking to the kitchen as Keegan's cries became fiercer. "But you'll come as soon as you can, right?"

"Yeah… but Joey-"

"'Kay bye!" she answered quickly and hung up the phone.

She hurried back into the kitchen to find Christopher holding a wailing Keegan who was red in the face.

"MA!!" he screamed, kicking away from Christopher.

"I don't know what happened," he tried to explain as Joey took her son away from her former paramour. "He just tried to leave, so I picked him up."

"Mamaaa!" Keegan cried as he bunched up Joey's shirt with his tiny fists to cling to her. "Wann Daaada!"

"It's okay, baby," Joey cooed, rocking him in her arms, suddenly wanting Keegan's daddy too. She secured her hand behind his head and kissed his cheek. "Daddy will be home soon."

Christopher's eyes were still wide and in shock of how quickly the boy had turned on him. He had just innocently picked him up causing nothing less than a hysterical baby.

"It's getting late," Joey explained, looking at the time. "And I have company coming over in a few minutes. Maybe we can finish this up at another time?"

Christopher merely nodded in wonder and looked to the front door.

"I'll walk you out," Joey urged, walking to the front. Christopher followed.

"So then… I'll call you?" he hesitated, perplexed.

Joey rubbed Keegan's back and nodded, "I guess that would be okay."

Christopher slowly turned around and headed for his car. As he got in, another car pulled into the driveway. He backed out and began to realize that getting answers from Joey Potter wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. But he wouldn't give up. Not after all of this hard work. He had questions and he was going to get answers. Maybe all she needed was a little reminder of how things used to be. Yes… that's it. A little reminder. Next time, he would be more prepared.

He pulled out the small picture of their deceased baby from the glove box. Perhaps that would trigger the response he was looking for. A small smile crossed his lips as remembered their baby. He wondered if she still remembered her.

He put the picture back into its proper place and knew he would find out soon. If a little reminder is what she needed to trigger some kind of emotion… then a little reminder is _exactly_ what she would get.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you so much for the feedback! Here is the next chapter. I'll post Chapter 13 soon too. Thanks for your patience!**

**Misty**

**-Chapter Twelve-**

As soon as Joey saw Christopher backing out of her driveway, an extreme feeling of relief washed over her. She couldn't believe how hard it was to see him again. She had broken up with him over the phone for a reason – she never wanted to see him again. It was just too hard. Yet, here he was, alive and well in her kitchen just a few minutes ago, after years of no contact.

The only reasoning she could come up with for her actions was the fact that she wanted her book published. As much as she had tried to deny that it wasn't going to happen, it was a possibility now. But again, at what cost? How far should a person go to get their dreams? How much should she sacrifice?

Was it wrong to work with a former lover when your husband's out of town for business? Was it wrong to invite him into their home after years of no contact?

These questions were circulating vigorously through Joey's mind as she held her baby boy close and looked out the window in a daze.

She saw Anne's headlights lighten up her driveway as she pulled in and felt another wave of release course through her. She quickly opened the door and stepped outside.

"Oh thank god you're here!" she exclaimed on an exhale of breath, rushing over to give her a hug.

"Wow! You must really be upset, Joey!" she exclaimed as Joey squeezed her breathless. "A hug before I even get out of the car," she teased as Joey released her from her tight embrace.

"Sorry," she replied embarrassed, moving back to give her more space. "I've just had 'one of those nights'."

Anne carefully lifted Kelsey's carrier out of the back and nodded. "That was him that just left, wasn't it?"

Joey nodded.

"Did you kick him out?"

Joey winced, "Not exactly."

"You just told him he couldn't stay…"

"I told him I had company and that we should continue with our editing another time."

Anne nodded and started walking towards the front door, "I see."

Joey helped Anne and the baby into her home. Soon, Anne had the blonde baby, Kelsey, out of her carrier and into her arms for a bottle.

"So what happened, Joey?" Anne began, looking up at her and away from her daughter as she fed her before bed.

Joey was rocking a sleeping Keegan on their brown rocker across from Anne. He was barely moving his mouth, to suck on his thumb, as his thick eyelashes laid gracefully on his rosy cheeks. She gently traced the baby curves on his face as she answered.

"Well, my company offered me a contract for my book," she began, getting out the part that was tearing her up inside.

"That's wonderful, Joey!" Anne exclaimed with a smile.

"Yes, except there was a catch… Just like in my last offer."

Anne grimaced and slumped back on the couch. "_Christopher_."

"Yes."

"So what's the catch? He's editing your book?"

Joey chuckled lightly. "Oh no! The man couldn't edit a _chapter_, much less a_ book_, to save his life!"

"Well then, I guess I don't understand."

Joey took a deep breath. "_I_ have to edit _his_ work now."

Anne scoffed, "That's ridiculous! Why would you have to do that? I don't see any correlation between your book and his!"

"Oh there's a correlation alright," she answered irritably.

Anne still looked confused.

"Remember the catch in my last contract offer?" she explained, growing angrier. "The catch that I had to live in New York and eventually go on a book tour to promote my book for a few months?"

"Right…"

"Well, this time, since they know I can't move or do a book tour, they've decided someone else can do the work for me while he's promoting _his_ new novel-"

"-Christopher."

"Yes."

"So, in other words, you are _completely_ and _utterly_ screwed."

Joey closed her eyes, realizing the truth in Anne's last statement. "Pretty much."

They sat in silence for a moment as the new, painful disappointment began to settle into the pit of her stomach. So much had happened within the last week.

One: she found out she's _not_ pregnant after a month of trying.

Two: she was offered a wonderful contract to get her book published.

Three: it comes with a high cost.

And four: that high cost is she has to work with Christopher.

"So, what does Pacey think about all of this?" Anne asked after a while.

Kelsey had fallen asleep during the middle of her feeding and her mother was securing the yellow blanket around her delicate body, rocking her gently.

"He doesn't," she answered honestly. "I haven't told him yet."

"Why not?"

Joey bit her bottom lip, nervously. "I've tried. Honestly I have. It's just, every time I open my mouth… the words… they just don't come."

"So then make them come," Anne replied indignantly.

"It's not that easy," she answered defensively, making Keegan stir in her arms. She lowered her voice.

"Pacey has been my biggest supporter when it comes to this book and my dreams. He has sacrificed a lot to help me get back to New York, when I got my first offer. It was both a _relief_ and _devastation_ when I turned down that offer with _Tree House Publishing_. So, I really don't know how to go about telling him that I have another offer."

"Or rather the conditions of that offer."

"Right."

Anne looked around the room, deep in thought, feeling for Joey's situation. "I don't know what to say, Joey."

"I don't know what to _do_."

"Well, it sounds like to me that you need to make a decision," Anne continued, trying to be helpful. "And I know one thing about important decisions like this: it's best to have the support of the ones you love when you make these kinds of choices."

Joey nodded in agreement. "I know…"

"So basically, I think you need to tell Pacey - even if you decide _not_ to work with Christopher and publish your book. He deserves to know what's going on. He's your husband."

"I agree," she answered firmly. "It's just not going to be easy."

"Yeah… but hey! At least you have a few days left to go over your options before Pacey gets home, right?"

Joey tensed slightly, "Yeah… I guess I do."

Somehow, that didn't make her feel any better.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Pacey quickly grabbed his suitcase and the white and pink tulip arrangement he had picked up on his way home. He was so focused on holding everything without crushing the flowers that he barely noticed Anne's car parked in front, next to Joey's.

"Jo!" he called out as he opened the door. "Joey, I'm back!"

He quickly tossed aside his jacket on the couch and dropped his briefcase, leaving him armed with a suitcase in one hand and a dozen tulips in the other.

"Joey?" he called out again as he circled around the entrance to the hallway that led to their bedroom.

He quickly glanced into Keegan's room and found it empty before he heard some music coming from their bedroom. He gingerly opened the door and set his suitcase by the bed. It was then that he heard a spasm of giggles coming from the bathroom that accompanied the loud music.

He briefly knocked on the door, surprised to hear more than one voice inside. "Jo?"

Anne opened the door in surprise, "Pacey? What are you doing here?"

"I pay the mortgage, Sommers," he answered cleverly as Joey rounded the corner holding Aimee, "And the last time I checked, you don't."

"Unca Pacey!" Aimee beamed, stretching her arms out to her favorite uncle.

"Aims…what did they do to you?" he asked incredulously, taking her into his arms, and looking at Anne suspiciously.

Her long blonde hair was curled into the most perfect spirals he had ever seen and her face had a thin layer of make-up dusted over her beautiful face that made her look like a porcelain doll. Even her lips, which were naturally rosy, had a bright red tint to them.

"Aunt Jo jo and Anna made me boo-tiful," the little girl explained with a proud smile.

"You are definitely a sight for sore eyes, Miss Lindley," Pacey agreed, kissing her forehead. "Your Momma would be so proud."

"You're home early," Joey greeted, holding a baby on her hip that Pacey didn't recognize.

"I am," he agreed, shifting Aimee so he could present to her the flowers he had bought her.

"Wow! Are those for me?" Anne teased, reaching to snatch the arrangement from Pacey's grip.

He moved them away just in time.

"Not so fast Sommers."

"You know its _Leery_ now," Joey reminded him scornfully, taking the flowers appreciatively.

"And that helps her… _how_?" he bantered.

"Ouch," Anne replied, looking back at Joey. "And you married this schlub?"

It was Pacey's turn to appear hurt. "Ouch."

Joey rolled her eyes and carefully leaned up to kiss Pacey's cheek. He heard her murmur a breathy 'thanks' in his ear, making his mind slow dangerously and his blood course quickly.

"Sommers," he began as Joey glared at him. "I mean… _Leery_. How long are you stayin'?"

"Until the end of the world or your wife kicks me out," she answered nonchalant, gathering her makeup on the sink. "Whichever comes first."

Pacey looked at his wife with a smirk, "Jo, kick her out, before she gets the _crazy_ idea that she's _actually_ welcome here."

"Pace, YOU are lucky I don't kick_ you_ out at this moment," she quipped, helping Anne clean up.

"So what are you ladies doing in here exactly?" he asked curiously, looking at Aimee, and all the accessories and hair tools they had dragged out of Joey's closet. "And where is my son?"

"We're gettin' pretty, Unca Pacey," Aimee explained logically, batting her eyelashes like a pro.

"Well you're _already_ a pretty little lady," he flirted, eliciting a giggle from the miniature Jen.

"So what'd you do with Keegan? Shove him out back with a fishing pole and a beer?" he mocked, looking around the room.

Joey huffed, "Don't you dare start giving him ideas, Pace."

Just then, the baby he hadn't recognized when he first walked in spoke up. "Pretty Dad-da."

His whole demeanor changed as he recognized that little voice. But it couldn't be true. Joey would never-

"Is that Keegan?" he spat in disbelief.

"Isn't he a doll?" Anne gushed, admiring the boy with mascara on his eyelashes and red lipstick painted across his lips.

"What in the hell did you do to him, Joey?!" he snapped, carefully setting Aimee down and quickly scooping up his son to help him regain his masculinity.

Joey raised an eyebrow, "We picked up Aimee and decided to have a girl's night with the kids."

"And at what point did you decide that Keegan was a girl?" he argued, trying to wipe off the incriminating paint off his face.

"Pretty Keegie," Aimee commented, wrapping her arms around Pacey's leg.

"He is a pretty girl," Anne teased.

Pacey glared at her darkly. "HE is a _boy_. HE is NOT pretty!"

Joey looked offended, "Pacey lay off… we didn't want to leave him out of our fun just because he has a Y chromosome. That would be _sexist_."

"Exactly," Anne concurred. "You, Pacey, are the only one who seems to be threatened by this whole situation."

"I do not feel threatened!"

"Sure…" Joey laughed. "That's why you're hysterically taking off his making."

"My son will not wear make-up, Joey!"

She laughed, picking up Aimee. "You're being ridiculous, Pacey."

"Joey… this is something you may never be able to understand."

"Apparently not," she replied with the roll of her eyes. "Well come on _ladies_… Let's give these _men_ their privacy."

"Hahaa!" Anne laughed, taking Kelsey into her arms. "I'll see you later, Witter!"

Pacey groaned his response.

Just as Joey shut the door leaving her men behind, she heard Pacey whine loudly: "PINK FINGERNAIL POLISH?!"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

It was late and Pacey was already in bed. He had spent the majority of the evening trying to undo the "damage" she and Anne had done to Keegan while he was away.

Honestly, she had no idea he would be home this early. Now she _had_ to have the talk with him. She had no choice. Christopher had called while Pacey was finishing up in the bathroom and made arrangements to meet with her tomorrow morning. Pacey had to know what was going on and he had to know_ tonight_ before Christopher came over in the morning to work on his novel.

She slowly shut off the light in the bathroom, having already brushed her teeth and hair, and changed into a form-fitting nighty. It was lacy and white – the kind of nighty she rarely wore to bed, but knew Pacey would get all kinds of pleasure out of.

The lamp was still on by her side of the bed when she entered her bedroom. Pacey was lying on his side, one arm under his head and the other on her pillow. He was facing away from her.

"Pace?" she asked softly, slowly climbing into bed.

He slowly opened his eyes and when they met her dainty form, she heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Jo… you look, _amazing_," he said huskily, slowly sitting up, and lifting the covers to help her into bed.

She smiled at his reaction and snuggled in close to him, wrapping her arms around his chest. He inhaled the scent of her hair and became mesmerized by the intoxicating scent.

"Dear Lord woman, what did I do to deserve you?" he murmured breathily as he gently kissed her cheeks, nose, and forehead.

"You have it backwards, Pace," she replied genuinely, rubbing his bare back and sides with affection. "_I'm_ the lucky one."

"Impossible," he argued. "How are _you_ the lucky one when I get to claim this beautiful woman as my wife every day, now and forever?"

He let his hands drift down her arm, to her delicate fingers. He lifted them gently to his lips and kissed each one as if he had all the time in the world to love her.

"Pacey?" she sighed after they had murmured more words of devotion under their breath and expressed that devotion with the touch of their hands, lips, and bodies.

"Jo?" he answered softly against the heated skin by her throat, kissing it once, and then lifting his eyes to meet hers.

"Can we stop for a few minutes?" she replied, tensing. "I can't do this."

He looked at her uneasily. This was a first in their marriage.

"Um, yeah…" he replied, brushing aside her long, chocolate bangs, and placing one last chaste kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Pace."

"Don't be…" he reassured her with a concerned smile. "What's wrong, Sweetheart?"

"I have to tell you something."

He looked at her with his eyes filled with love. She could see every shade of blue in the specs of his pure eyes full of affection and warmth. And what was worse was that he was radiating those feelings through her body, making her _feel_ what she could see.

How could she tell a man like this that her dreams were all contingent on his understanding of her working closely with a former lover again? How could she see the pain in his eyes as she had to remind him he wasn't the _only man_ she had been with, even though her heart never really belonged to anyone else?

"I love you," she chickened out.

He smiled and kissed her, "I love you, too."

"Pacey?"

"Yeah?"

"Make love to me."

He kissed her again. "With pleasure, Sweetheart."

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	13. Chapter 13

**-Chapter Thirteen-**

The morning light had leisurely woken Pacey from a peaceful sleep. The gentle light from the window flowed easily through the room, magnifying the dust in the air, and focused in on Joey who was curled up on his chest, still sleeping comfortably.

He looked down at her in awe, carefully moving his hand up to her hair so he could brush it away from her neck. Her cheeks were flushed and rosy, highlighting the crimson color of her lips. The softness of her hair felt amazing between his fingertips. The way it meshed perfectly with her angelic features would make many goddesses thick with envy. And yet somehow, she had blessed him with her heart and a beautiful child. It was moments like this that he couldn't understand how he got so lucky.

After nearly a half-hour of memorizing her every contour, freckle, and curve on her body, Joey finally stirred. She stretched like a cat, still tangled up in his arms, and eventually opened her eyes.

When she looked up at him, she caught him staring. "What are you doing?"

He shook his head, unable to explain. "Nothing."

"What time is it?"

He glanced over at the clock, trying to focus his eyes. "Um… 7:30 I think."

Joey nodded and closed her eyes. She laid still for a few seconds before she tensed and sat up.

"Oh my god! No!" she quickly shoved the covers off of her body and searched for her clothes.

"Jo, what's wrong?" he asked in surprise, sitting up to watch her scramble for some decency.

He found her nighty behind the lamp and handed it to her.

"Are you late for something, Jo?"

"Late? No… not really," she hesitated and stopped to look at him. "Well, kind-of. I just wasn't expecting you home so early."

"Is that a bad thing?" he smirked, uneasily.

"No, no…" she quickly clarified, bringing her pajamas over her head. "I just wasn't expecting to have this conversation with you just yet."

"What conversation?" he asked extremely confused. "Joey, what are you talking about?"

She closed her eyes, realizing she was unable to keep it from him any longer. "Pacey… I have another publishing offer for my book."

He studied her for a moment, not sure if she was telling the truth or pulling his leg, as he let her words sink in. A smile spread across his face as he finally realized she was being honest.

"This is great, Joey!" he beamed, but suddenly frowned. "Why aren't you happy about this?"

Again, she looked away. "There's a catch, Pace."

"Isn't there always?" he muttered.

She barely heard him and looked to the clock, biding her time.

"New York?" he offered hesitantly after awhile.

"No."

"Then what?"

Just then the doorbell rang.

"What the-" he murmured under his breath, looking to Joey questioningly. "Who would be at the door this early in the morning?"

Joey quickly got up and grabbed her robe. "He wasn't supposed to come this early."

Pacey reached for his blue boxers and asked, "Who?"

She shook her head and secured the cotton robe around her body as she bolted out the door. When she reached the front door, just as she had expected, _Christopher_ was on the other side.

"Christopher, you're early," she said unpleasantly, opening the door a crack.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked over her interesting choice of attire. "And _you_ are _clearly_ preoccupied with something else."

"What?" she cornered, opening the door a little further in her haste.

He shook his head and looked away. "Do you want me to come back?"

Just then Pacey came around the corner and stood behind his wife.

"Can we help you with something?" he asked indignantly, wrapping his arms around Joey's stomach protectively.

Immediately, she tensed between the two men sandwiching her between them.

This wasn't happening. This _couldn't_ be happening.

Christopher smiled, knowingly, and turned to Joey. "I was just asking _your wife_ if I should come back in a little bit so we can get to work this morning. I have a lot I want to get accomplished in a few hours."

"Joey, do you know this guy?"

Joey felt Pacey's eyes on her from behind and couldn't handle it. She nearly praised the lord above when Keegan's morning cry filled the room.

"I'll go get him," she spoke quickly, moving out of Pacey's embrace and leaving the two men alone in the living room.

"Well, are you going to invite me inside?" Christopher asked impatiently.

Pacey only hesitated once and then stepped aside.

"So you know my wife, I take it?" he began conversationally, as he moved to the couch, eyeing the stranger suspiciously.

"I guess you could say that," Christopher replied with a smirk, sitting on the chair. "I thought she would have told you by now about our new project."

Pacey was taken off guard. "_What_ new project?"

"My novel," he answered matter-of-factly.

Pacey raised an eyebrow, clearly unappreciative of this new man's knowledge about Joey that he didn't know.

"Well, obviously you two were too busy with other… _physical_ activities, for her to mention it to you."

"Excuse me?!"

"The flushed cheeks man," he answered with a smirk.

Pacey's jaw clenched.

Just then, Joey entered the room, with a sleepy baby on her hip. His head was resting on her shoulder while his arm clung around his black Duddle duck.

"Pacey, he wants his daddy," she said softly, handing him over with the utmost care.

Pacey took him, never letting his eye contact drop from Christopher.

"Hung-ee Da-daa," Keegan said thickly, his eyes half-lidded from sleep.

He looked between Christopher and Joey and decided it was okay to leave them alone together, even though his gut was saying otherwise.

"Alright buddy, we'll get you some cereal," he paused for a long moment, still letting it soak in what this guy had just said about his wife. "You alright, Jo?" he muttered darkly, giving her a look.

She was unable to meet his eyes, "Yes, Pace… I'm fine."

"Maybe you should get dressed?" he suggested with a glance over at Christopher.

She quickly tightened the tie around her robe uncomfortably, "I will Pacey. Just give me a minute."

He nodded and left for the kitchen to feed his son.

Joey looked down at her feet, still deciding what to say. Seeing the confusion on Pacey's face had hurt. She had meant to tell him about the terms of her contract last night, but she didn't want to ruin a perfectly romantic evening by bringing Christopher between them. Then, this morning, just as she had blurted it out, _completely_ untactful, he shows up at their front door before she could even get to the heart of the issue.

"Look Christopher," she began in a professional tone, deciding not to be embarrassed, but confident. "I understand that you're eager to get started, but _this_ is too early in the morning."

"You used to like working early in the morning," he commented with a knowing grin.

_So much for professionalism…_

"I have a family now," she replied, "this just isn't going to work like it did before. Things have changed."

"Not _all_ things," he murmured with a light chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, slowly losing her professional front.

"You're cheeks," he explained, "they're flushed."

"No," Joey replied irritably, quickly standing up. "I'm not having this conversation with you."

"What?"

"Look, come back in an hour or so and then we'll go to the _Bean Crush_ for a cup of coffee and then we'll start working on your outline," she began, escorting him to the door. "I just can't do this right now."

He looked at her slightly confused. "Did I offend you?"

"Since when did you ever worry about a _little_ thing like that?" she asked annoyed, crossing her arms.

"Ouch," he replied, grabbing his chest. He studied her reaction further, and was going to say something more, but Pacey came out of the kitchen with a murderous expression.

"Alright… _Ten o'clock_ sound good?"

"Yes."

"…And I'll pick you up?"

Joey looked back at Pacey. His face was hard.

"Um… yeah."

"Okay… Ten o'clock then."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"You slept with him?!" Pacey lashed out the minute the front door closed.

Joey's jaw dropped at his blatant attack. "What?!"

"You slept with him, didn't you!?" he accused, a million different emotions playing across his face.

"Pacey, just let me explain."

He shook his head, "I just have one question: did you cheat on me while I was away?"

"NO!" she answered angrily. How dare he accuse her of adultery! That was the _last thing_ she would do to him or their marriage. "I've _never_ cheated on you, Pacey Witter! But should I ask you the same question?"

He ignored the last part and got straight to the point. "How do you know him?"

She closed her eyes and moved to the couch to sit down. She held her face in her hands, completely frustrated. This was _not_ the way she intended to have this conversation.

"Pacey, this is complicated, so if you want to fight, I'd rather not talk about it now."

"I don't want to fight, Jo," he answered honestly, moving to sit across from her in the chair. "I just want to know why he was implicating certain things – _certain ideas_ – about _my wife_ and now, all of a sudden, you're upset."

"You remember Christopher?" she said blatantly.

"New York guy?"

She looked at him and nodded, "Yes."

"_That_ was New York guy?" he replied in disbelief, putting together the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Again, she nodded.

Pacey sat in silence with a furrowed brow. Finally he seemed to piece together everything from their early morning conversation, to Christopher's _outrageous_ implications.

"So let me get this straight…" he started, trying to maintain his calm. "You said this morning there was a catch to the contract and I take it from your less-than enthusiastic discussion with me right now that _he_ is the catch to the contract, correct?"

"Yes."

"And what is his role exactly?"

She sighed, "I have to edit his book."

"I see…"

She could tell that he didn't understand, so she explained further. "Since we're trying to have a baby and I can't go on a book tour to promote my book, he'll work closely with me on my novel too, and while he's promoting his new release, he'll promote mine as well…"

Pacey merely nodded his understanding, setting his jaw, and clasping his hands together. He was upset, she could tell, but he was trying to control it.

"Okay…" he finally acknowledged, before getting up to go back to the kitchen without another word.

She sat there with tears in her eyes. She _hated_ this feeling – like she was hurting him. At this point, she wasn't sure that she was doing the right thing. In fact, it felt like she was doing the _wrong_ thing.

Disappointment, soon followed by resentment, crept into her soul. She stood up to follow him to the kitchen. However, she met him in the hallway with Keegan in his arms.

The little boy was wide awake now, having eaten, and appeared to be ready to change out of his pajamas so he could play.

"I can take him," she managed to murmur, not wiping away the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks.

Pacey shook his head, refusing to look at her, "I've got him."

"But don't you have to go to work soon?"

"I'm going to be late today," he answered without hesitation – the slightest touch of anger still evident in his voice.

"Pacey… I'm sorr-"

He quickly cut her off. "Jo… don't. I just need time to process this."

"No Pace… I'm not going to do it. It's wrong."

"It's _not wrong_, Joey," he replied fervently. "I'm just not used to seeing another man look at you like… like… like_ that_… I've forgotten what it feels like… to… to…" he paused, looking away. "I just need time."

Joey nodded as he walked away. She wrapped her arms around herself and stood in the hallway, searching for answers. The only thing she could come up with was that she needed to shower and get ready to meet the bastard who was hurting her family.

She walked slowly to her bathroom and turned on the water, deciding on a hot bath instead. She poured an adequate amount of bubbles into the steam and gracefully got in. She rested her head back against the curve in the tub and closed her eyes. She was miserable.

After nearly fifteen minutes of soaking, she heard a light tap on the door, soon followed by Pacey's footsteps. She opened her eyes and saw him walking towards her, his features torn.

"Pacey," her voice cracked. "I'm-"

"-No," he shook his head. "_I'm_ sorry, Jo. I shouldn't be acting this way. You're getting your book published and I'm acting like an _ass_."

"No you're not," she answered firmly, slowly sitting up as he sat on the edge beside her. "What Christopher said this morning was completely inexcusable. You have every right to be upset."

She saw him tense with that reminder. She gently took his hand and brought it to her lips. "I should have told you sooner."

"How long have you known about this?"

"About a week," she answered honestly. "I would have told you sooner, Pace. I was just trying to figure out what to do. This was a total surprise to me - _in all ways_."

He was silent, looking away from her.

"What do you want me to do, Pacey?" she asked, studying his every move; his every expression.

He hesitated before turning to her. "I think you should go for it. We've dealt with worse, right?"

"I love you, Pacey, and I want you to know that I could never love another man like I love you," she gently rubbed this hand with her thumb. "Not now, not back then…"

His face softened at her declaration. He brought his hand up to her cheek and gently kissed her forehead. "Thanks Jo. I needed to hear that."

"Anytime, Pace…" she smiled back at him. "Maybe if I say it long enough, you'll actually start believing me…"

His smirk was lighthearted. "Potter, you better hurry up, before that guy comes back and I have to kick his ass for implying that he's seen you naked, again."

"If he implies anything like that again, _I'll_ be the one to kick his ass," she reassured him with a teasing tone.

Pacey chuckled and shook his head, "Poor guy."

Joey raised an eyebrow, "Oh… so you feel sorry for him now, huh?"

"Well I've been on the receiving end of your temper before," he bantered. "It isn't pretty."

She laughed as he handed her a towel. "So then, you're okay with me working with Christopher again?"

He winced slightly, "I'm not sure if 'okay' is the word of choice, but I'm _thrilled_ that your book is getting published…"

She bit her bottom lip, "Oh…"

"Does that answer your question?" he asked softly.

"Not really, but I have a feeling that's all you can give me at the moment."

"For now, yes," he answered honestly.

"So are you taking Keegan to the _Bean Crush_?"

"Yes and then I thought I'd pick up some lunch at the restaurant… you up for it?"

Pacey smiled, "That sounds great."

She gingerly dried herself as Pacey watching in admiration.

"Just do one thing for me, Jo," he said quietly.

She looked up, "What's that?"

"Remember me when you become famous."

"But you're so easy to forget, Pace…" she teased. "In fact, I think I've already forgotten your last name."

"Well then you're in trouble because it's _your_ last name too."

"Something with a 'W' is beginning to ring a bell," she murmured, appearing to be deep in thought.

"See you do remember," he answered with a smile, bringing her close before he had to leave her.

"I've got to go, Jo."

"I'll see you at noon," she replied, kissing his cheek.

He turned around to leave, but stopped as he crossed the door. "Call me… if you, um… _need_ anything."

Joey smiled, understanding his _true_ meaning. "No worries, Pace."

"Alright… later…"

"See ya, Pace…"

As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, brushing through her long, wet tresses, she was thankful for such a caring, understanding man as her husband. But she was also dreading to see the man who was causing them both so much distress.

She quickly grabbed some work clothes and dried her hair. Within minutes, she had Keegan, and was out the door. Only time would tell how this situation was going to unfold. She just prayed it didn't end badly.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: So sorry for the delay on all of my stories. Unfortunately, there was a death in my family a few weeks ago that took my thoughts away from my writing. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things and hopefully there will be more updates to come. It will take me some time to catch up with everything. As always, I appreciate your patience. Thanks for your encouragement!_

_-Misty-_

**-Chapter Fourteen-**

The second time Christopher stopped by, he wasn't early. In fact, he was five minutes late. This suited Joey just fine, for the less time she had to spend with him, the better.

Keegan was wary during the drive to the coffee shop. Joey had packed his bottle, Duddle duck, and all the other accessories needed for a baby in this situation. Anything to keep him preoccupied so she could get some work done.

As soon as they ordered their coffee, and settled at a high table, they got right to work. Christopher lacked the small talk – again, much to her appreciation – and they got started on his outline. By noon, they were already working steady on his first chapter.

It was odd how quickly they got back into that familiar routine they had managed so long ago. It felt odd, yet strangely comfortable as well. In fact, she was even beginning to enjoy the work they were doing. Christopher had always been a talented author to work with; that much, she could never deny.

In fact, as he left to go use the restroom, she was taken back to the day she had met the brooding perfectionist. The man who had temporarily lifted her spirits and awoken something inside her that she thought had been lost a long time ago.

_Joey stood in the elevator, already late to her meeting with the newest client, and was waiting impatiently for everyone to file in. Just as she sighed in relief when the door began to close, a man with dark hair and broad shoulders stopped the door. He quickly shoved himself inside, and to Joey's annoyance, had pressed himself close to her._

_She inched away from him as much as she could – which didn't help much seeing as though the elevator was already overcrowded to begin with. But at least he didn't smell bad. In fact, he smelt rather good. _

_His scent seemed oddly familiar though – reminding her of being a teenager, deeply in love with a man with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Her heart constricted as she realized that _this_ was the same cologne Pacey had worn to their prom… The prom where he had broken her heart into a thousand pieces and shattered every hope of having a real life and a real love._

_She tried to stuff the new ache, consuming her heart, into its proper place – hidden deep inside the pit of her stomach – as she focused on getting through the next few hours. _

_When she reached her floor, she was in such a trance by this new aroma that she had nearly forgotten to step out._

_Within minutes, she was at her desk – which was fairly cluttered - and Megan was by her side explaining the morning's schedule._

"_So, you have Christopher Myles coming in any minute now and then Sandra Reed at one."_

_Joey nodded, grabbing a fresh cup of coffee, and settled into her chair. She opened her briefcase, half-listening to Megan, when that same scent wafted into her proximity. She immediately froze and looked up._

"_Do you think you'll be taking an hour lunch today, Joey?" Megan asked, completely unaware of Joey's lack of concentration._

"_Um… sure," she answered quickly, still in search of that intoxicating scent. _

"_Alright, I'll schedule you in for a noon lunch break."_

"_Yeah…" she answered dumbly, still looking around._

_After a few minutes of searching every square inch of the room she was in, she realized the delicious smell was gone. A few editors had noticed her lack of work and raised their eyebrows at her. She was still new to the job, only having worked at _Booktastic Publishing_ for two weeks. It was her dream job… The job she had found after her trip to Paris. _

_She wasn't really focused on anything in particular at the moment. Just being content in her finances and paying off college loans. Perhaps, sending Bessie some money here and there to help out with the B&B. Nothing too life changing exactly… She had already had enough life altering experiences to fill an ocean. Calm, content, and steady was a good pace for the life she was living. Nothing drastic._

_She looked down at her filing cabinet, preparing to get out the papers that she was required to fill out anytime she met a new author, when the scent assaulted her again._

_She glanced up, mumbling '…Pacey?' under her breath, as she saw a dark brunette with hard eyes and a smirk on his face, standing next to her desk. It was the brooding man from the elevator. _

_Without an ounce of hesitation, he took the cup that was filled with her coffee and took a long, deep sip._

"_Excuse me," she blurted out in disgust, watching him drink her coffee, "what in the hell do you think you're doing?"_

_He set her cup down, having finished the rest of her coffee, and smiled, "I was thirsty."_

"_Apparently," she replied scornfully, glaring down at her empty cup. _

"_So you're Josephine Potter, correct?" he asked with that same, mocking expression._

"_It depends on who's asking," she answered sarcastically, folding her arms in irritation._

"_Myles," he answered with a deep voice, sending a strange shiver down her spine. He moved behind her and pointed to the list on her desk, his arms barely wrapped around her own._

"_Christopher?" _

"_In the flesh."_

"_So _you_ are the author working on 'The Brunette, Blood, & Lust'," she replied quickly, not allowing his proximity to intimidate her. _

"_I was thinking of re-titling it 'Obsession for the Brunette'," he said deeply against the back of her neck, making her shiver._

_Damn Bessie for suggesting that she looked professional with her hair up and exposing her neck like that!_

"_Well, we can work on that as soon as you get me another cup of coffee," she quipped, rolling her chair back to intentionally shove him away. "Mine appears to be all gone."_

"_So the lady needs her coffee fix, eh?"_

"_Black, no sugar, and two packets of cream," she answered sharply, pointing him in the direction of the coffee bar across the room._

"_How about we get you something of more sustenance," he suggested, obviously looking her up and down impressed. _

"_And where are you suggesting I find this 'sustenance' you speak so fondly of?"_

"_The best place I know."_

"_And where is that? _Starbucks_?" she mocked._

"_No," he answered with just a hint of amusement in his voice. "31__st__ Avenue."_

"_What's at 31__st__ Avenue?" _

"_My place," he replied without skipping a beat._

"_Um… let me think about that," she bantered, surprised by how attracted she was to his brooding demeanor. "No."_

"_I'm just offering coffee, Josephine," he replied, taking a strand of her hair, and loosely spiraling it around his finger._

"_No."_

"_You won't be disappointed, I promise."_

_No. This was bad. He wasn't supposed to make her feel like this. He was obviously cocky and up to no good… Sort of like the man who had turned out to be the best man she had ever met. The man who had completely saved her… and hurt her… all at the same time._

"_No."_

"_Are you sure?" he asked, "Because very few have had the _privilege_ of tasting my source of sustenance. You are _extremely_ lucky that I'm feeling generous and offering."_

"_Or extremely _unlucky_…" she muttered with a raised brow._

"_Alright, I don't beg. It's your loss…" he settled as he started walking to the coffee bar._

_Something about him had struck a chord in her. Maybe it was the reminder of something she had already had… Or maybe it was _the need_ to have something – _or someone_ – instead of nothing at all. She wasn't sure what made her take this next step, but had she known the immediate road it would have led to, she probably wouldn't have done it._

"_Christopher?" she stopped him._

"_Yes?"_

"_Can you make this particular sustenance black, with no sugar, and two packets of cream?"_

_He smiled, clearly amused at how quickly she had changed her mind._

"_Only for you, Josephine… Only for you."_

Joey lost her train of thought as Christopher returned with two cups of coffee.

"Black, no sugar…" he said with a smile, handing her the foam cup and two packets of cream.

Her cheeks tinted crimson by the fact that he had remembered such a simple detail in her life. At one point she was the complete opposite, preferring her coffee with nothing BUT sugar. However, Dawson had changed her perspective on that. And Christopher had only ever known her second preference.

"So if I add a little more background to the introduction, you think it'll be good?" he asked genuinely.

She nodded, unable to understand why she felt so torn all of a sudden. She pointed to a couple sections of the manuscript with her red pen and explained: "Yes, just a little more here… and here… and then I think we'll have it."

"_We_ huh?" he asked, not missing a thing.

"Well, _you_…" she quickly corrected. "_You_ will have it."

"It's okay, Jo," he murmured deeply. "I don't mind you saying 'we.' It's just been a long time."

His dark eyes locked on her own for a moment, stunning her. There was something hidden there, something he was suppressing. It made her catch her breath. It was too much.

She quickly glanced down to Keegan in front of her and stood up. "I have to go."

"Why? We're finally getting somewhere," he protested fervently, standing up as well.

Joey picked up Keegan. "I know, but I promised to meet Pacey in a few minutes and I don't want to be late."

Christopher closed his eyes as a frustrated groan rumbled deep from his throat. "Can't you just tell him we're working a little late? You can see him later."

She shook her head, gathering Keegan's toys from the floor. "No."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" he pressed, once everything was picked up. "Same time, same place?"

"Sure," she answered hesitantly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Alright, tomorrow at ten," he repeated for clarity, lifting the strap of his briefcase to his shoulder. "Do you want to meet me here or would _Petey_ protest to the idea of me picking you up again?"

"I'll meet you here," she mumbled irritably, "And you know his name is _Pacey_."

He smiled innocently, "Right…"

He began walking to the door when Joey noticed a small picture fall from his bag. With little thought, she knelt down to pick it up.

"Christopher?"

He stopped to look at her, "Yeah?"

"You dropped something," she replied, holding the black and white photo out for him to take.

He was walking over to see what it was when she stole a quick glance at it. The shadows were defined; the image clear. The contrast in brightness and darkness revealed something familiar, something that made her stomach constrict unconsciously.

"Here," he said hastily, trying to take it from her.

She quickly pulled her hand back with the photo glued securely between her fingers. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped as she began to recognize the incriminating picture.

"What's this?!" she demanded, looking at the sonogram with pale features. She was looking into the eyes of a ghost that she hadn't thought about in years.

"What do you think it is?" he replied darkly, still trying to grab the picture.

A flicker of pain shot across her eyes before she could perfect the cold façade that was trying to hide it. She turned away from him, gripping Keegan tighter to her side, trying to stay calm. She was finding it difficult to catch her breath. Why did he have this? That was a long time ago.

Up at the top, left hand corner, the name "Potter-Myles" confirmed what she was hoping wasn't true. The words, "_Hi Mommy and Daddy_!" were shown below in a bold print.

Her mind began to spin out of control with those words.

Mommy and Daddy.

_Mommy_.

Keegan looked up at her in wonder, his blue eyes sparkling brilliantly. He could tell she was upset and instinctively handed her his favorite stuffed animal. "Duddy, Mama," he said wisely as she took it with tears in her eyes.

She swallowed back her tears and glared at Christopher, fighting to contain the turmoil that threatened to wreak havoc on her small, but fragile world.

"Why do you have this?" she demanded, looking at him in a cross between shock and anger. "Where did you get this?"

"Joey-"

"NO!" she interrupted him, holding Keegan tighter. She knew she didn't want to hear the answer. She _knew_ the answer.

"No…" she mumbled again. "I can't do this, Christopher."

She rushed to the door without a second glance back, leaving an unwanted piece of herself with him.

Christopher stood by the door and watched her disappear, sighing in defeat. Well that had definitely gotten a reaction out of her. It just wasn't exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

Eventually, when he felt it was safe, he stepped out into the bright sunlight. The clear sky and beautiful water made it impossible to believe that Joey had just walked out on him again. He began walking to his car when he saw it. The sonogram was lying on the ground, tossed carelessly aside as if she hadn't cared at all.

He frowned and moved to pick it up. He carefully tucked it inside his shirt and turned to leave again. He wondered if she would object to his phone calls. He inwardly groaned at the thought of calling her tonight. Joey was never reasonable when she was upset. He would wait a few days, give her some time. _Time_… yes. That's what they needed to reconnect. She just needed to remember what was lost; what they had lost.

The seed was planted; the ball was in her court. It was time to see what she did with it.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


	15. Chapter 15

**-Chapter Fifteen-**

Ever had one of those days where the coffee isn't strong enough, the morning's traffic is particularly slow, and when you get to work, everything just seems to go wrong? Well that was Pacey's morning.

First, the special order of lobster he had called for _months_ in advance for their annual 'lobster week' – a special promotion at Creek House to help start off the tourist season – didn't show up. Two of the main chefs called in sick, or more likely "sick" with a hangover since he had heard about their wild night at the bar the previous night from two of the waitresses. His quarterly billing statements weren't matching his records and _not_ in his favor. And that's not even mentioning the fact that his _wife_ has been acting rather shady ever since she went out for coffee with the last man she had ever slept with before their marriage. And what was worse, _the ladder_ part was what was affecting his morning the most. Life was just unpleasant and grand - _minus_ the 'grand' part.

"What's wrong with you, little brother?" Gretchen asked with a raised brow and folded arms, having already taken notice to his grumpy demeanor.

"You don't want to know," he grumbled back, penciling in some figures in his books, trying to make them work.

"Try me."

Pacey sighed and dropped his pen. "Gretch, now would be the best time to just _walk away_. You don't want to know what's bothering me. Nor do I really want to tell you. So let's just pretend we had this little heart to heart, brotherly-sisterly moment, and move on with the rest of our lives. Alright?"

"Woa, the 'I don't want to talk about it' speech isn't going to cut it this time, Pace," she answered pointedly. "And contrary to popular belief, I _do_ care about you. Being your older sister has granted me with the lovely responsibility of looking out for you. And when you give me the angsty 'I don't want to talk about it' speech, then I know it has to be serious. So let's just cut to the chase and you get to talkin'. What's with the doom n' gloom look?"

Pacey looked at his coffee cup before looking up. "In one word?"

"Sure."

"Joey."

"And what'd _you_ do this time?" she teased with a smirk. He didn't find it amusing.

"Amazingly, I didn't do anything this time."

Gretchen looked at him strangely, trying to comprehend.

"She didn't do anything either – at least I hope not," he quickly explained. "It's New York guy… _Christopher_. He came to our house a few weeks ago, insinuating certain things about Joey and the next thing I know, they were out having coffee... Then suddenly, Joey stops talking about him and becomes stoic anytime I mention his name."

"What?"

"Yeah... I think he tried to do something with her." He paused, letting his overactive imagination take over. "Maybe she wants him again..."

Suddenly Gretchen burst out laughing. Pacey's felt his face become red, his jaw clenched.

"Care to enlighten me on what's so damn funny?"

Gretchen nodded in her laughter. "You're worried about _Christopher_, Pace? The man she left in New York for _you_… I'm not so sure you're looking at this situation properly."

Pacey relaxed slightly. It's true, Joey did leave Christopher to start a relationship with him. Granted, the details were always a little fuzzy when she talked about him, but really he didn't care. Joey was his wife. There was no need to worry about the men from her past. That is, until recently…

"Why was she out for coffee with this guy anyways?" Gretchen asked once all her laughter had subsided. "Isn't he just in town for a quick little visit down memory lane?"

Pacey sighed. "No. Work."

"He's working with Joey?"

He nodded, "Yes. Apparently she's editing his book, so when the time comes for her to promote her own book, she can stay home with Keegan and I while he goes on the book tour. I guess it's an equal exchange."

"Why doesn't Joey just take Keegan on the tour with her? I understand her not wanting to move out to New York… But really, the traveling would be fun."

Pacey closed his eyes, not wanting to disburse the fact that they were working on baby number 2 and that her book tour would put a monkey wrench into their plans.

Being the sister Pacey was closest to, Gretchen immediately picked up on his awkward silence.

"Wait, wait, wait. You're not telling me something, little brother."

Pacey looked away, guilty.

"What is it?"

He groaned and looked up. "Gretch, I've told you what's bothering me; you've had your laugh – we've had our 'bonding experience.' Is it really necessary to keep probing me to the point of degradation?"

She smiled, "All right, I'll leave you alone. But you know you've just admitted something's going on. If it's serious enough, I'll find out about it anyways."

"Yeah, well… if I have it my way you'll find out soon too," he conceded, mainly in frustration of the situation.

There was a light tap on the door, gaining both Pacey and Gretchen's attention.

"Come in," he answered, standing up to open the door.

"Pacey?" Sherrie, one of his best waitresses said quickly.

"Yeah?"

"We need you in the kitchen. There's a minor… _problem…_ you need to deal with."

Pacey sighed and followed her to the kitchen. Yep, his day was just getting better and better. Or not…

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Joey sat on the floor in the nursery, with her arms wrapped around her knees, deep in thought. She watched as Keegan lifted his bright green square block and placed it inside the square hole that was on top of the plastic bin.

He had recently taken to the new shapes box set that his aunt Bessie had gotten him a couple weeks ago. It was a toy that was supposed to help with his mental development – learning the different shapes and colors of the blocks and how they fit into the box.

Now, he was mastering his new toy by placing the cylinder block into the circular hole. His blue eyes glistened as he smiled up at Joey with pride at his accomplishment.

"Good job, Keegan!" she praised him in an exasperated voice. "You are such a smart little man! I'm so proud of you."

The little boy smiled, revealing his front teeth, making her heart become mush. He crawled over to sit on top of her lap.

"Ma-ma… Pata-pan!" he declared intriguingly, putting his chubby hands on her shoulders and bouncing with enthusiasm.

Instantly, she knew what he was asking. She had been reading to him "Peter Pan" and he seemed to be enjoying it. She assumed it was because of all the water and pirate illustrations inside.

"In a little bit," she replied sadly, moving the wavy strands of hair away from his eyes.

She just wasn't feeling cheery enough to imitate the voice of _Tinker Bell _and _Captain Hook_ at the moment. No, she hadn't really felt like doing much of anything these past few weeks.

Ever since Christopher's "accident" – dropping the sonogram picture for her to see – Joey had had a lot of trouble keeping a smile on her face. She hadn't seen Christopher since that fateful day two weeks ago, only sending him the minimum e-mails required to keep up on her contract with her publishing company, and avoiding him at all costs. The less she saw him, the better.

She looked around the nursery again and sighed. She kissed her baby on the forehead and urged him to go back to his blocks and play. She watched as he crawled back to his spot on the rug and began to roll around his toy cars.

She felt a sudden, overwhelming moment of awe as she looked around at the life she had built with Pacey, her true love. The child they had made together was playing happily in front of her. Soon, there would be another little Witter in their household, playing right along with him. Maybe more if they decided the time was right.

It was with thoughts of the future that she couldn't help but remember their checkered past and all the sacrifices they had made to get to this point. All the people that were hurt when they initially got together – and it wasn't just Dawson.

No, they had a long list of casualties when it came to their romance and creating a life together. Dawson and his temporary meltdown was just the _first_ of many unnecessary sacrifices. Audrey, Eddie, and even more recently – _Christopher_, were all among the list of sacrifices. Each giving their hearts completely, leaving a small piece of their life and love with each Pacey and Joey, only to only realize it was for nothing.

Not that Pacey nor Joey ever intended to _not_ completely give themselves to their other partners and romantic endeavors. It's just that their hearts were never truly their own to give away. They had always belonged to _each other_. After that initial kiss, and maybe long before it, there was no turning back – they _had_ to be together. A large chunk of their devotion and affection would always belong to true love.

However, during their brief parting, _life_ had happened and it seemed that both paramours had unexpected consequences with these "temporary" relationships.

Joey closed her eyes and cringed as she recalled one of those moments of her own.

"_Joey are you absolutely sure?" he murmured, staring at the black and white sonogram with unconvinced eyes. "But… but I thought you… you were… you know… on the pill-"_

"_I am…" she answered sharply, "I was… but when I got sick with that infection, and the doctor put me on the anti-biotic… I guess it worked against the birth control." _

_She paused, gauging the color changes on his face. _

"_So you weren't safe," he said distastefully, finally looking up from the sonogram._

_Joey sighed in frustration and walked to sit on the couch. "I love how you use the word 'you' as if I had planned to get into this situation."_

_He groaned again and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge between his eyes with his fingers._

_She studied his stone face, waiting for him to say something. It was only a few days ago that she went in to her gynecologist for her yearly exam when they discovered her very early condition. It was so early in fact, that the doctor was barely able to confirm it._

"_Say something, Christopher," she muttered darkly._

"_What do you want me to say?" he replied, annoyed. "You know how I feel about kids."_

"_Well I didn't exactly want this to happen either!" she snapped, standing up. "But it did and now we're going to have to deal with it."_

_There was another awkward period of silence before Christopher finally spoke up. "How do you feel about getting an abortion?" _

_Joey shook her head in disbelief at how selfish he was. She wasn't sure how she felt about this baby, but it was awfully quick to start thinking about termination. All Christopher could think about was his career and how badly this situation would affect it. He wasn't looking at this objectively._

_She glared at him, finally having enough, and, snapped, "You're impossible," before storming out of the room._

_She didn't look back as she stormed into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She quickly grabbed his pillow and a blanket and threw it out the door before locking it for good. She crawled into bed, fighting the turmoil building within her, and gave in. She convulsed with each gasp of air, crying as if she had been given a death sentence._

_So this was going to be her life? She was going to have a baby with Christopher – the man that she had only been with for a year now. The man who she was with, only because he reminded her of _him_. But even now, she knew Christopher could never be _him_. _He_ would never do this to her. _He _would never ask her to terminate their child for selfish reasons. _He_ would never leave her. But then she remembered that he did… Her heart broke again as she clung to her pillow for security; for answers._

_After nearly an hour of lying there, just thinking and crying, she heard a light tap on the door. She refused to acknowledge it._

"_Joey… let me in."_

_She held her pillow tighter. There was no way she was letting that bastard back in._

"_Look, I'm sorry Jo. I just wasn't expecting this."_

_She sighed, thinking sarcastically, 'Right and _I_ was…"_

_He knocked on the door a little louder, "Look, would you just let me in to get my stuff?"_

_She closed her eyes, considering throwing his 'stuff' out the window, but thought better of it. There were innocent pedestrians down there that she didn't want to hurt. She begrudgingly got up and unlocked the door._

_When he finally opened the door, she was lying on the bed with her back turned to him. He sat down beside her._

"_Alright, I'll confess that I'm not handling this very well. But you have to admit, you really just threw this on me at the worst possible time."_

_She quickly sat up, "I threw this on you?! What about _me_? What about _my_ timing and _my_ life? How do you know that I even want this kid – or any kids for that matter?"_

_Okay, that wasn't exactly true. But in all fairness, when she envisioned having children, it was not with Christopher. It was with someone else she knew she would never have again._

"_I just assumed," he interrupted._

_She shot him a glare, "No! I don't want this life and I certainly don't want it with you!"_

Joey sighed, remembering her anger that night. Things were never the same between her and Christopher again. The trust was gone – on both sides.

"Joey?" his voice called out, sending unexpected shivers up her spine. How did he have that affect on her?

"We're in here, Pace," she answered, moving to stand up.

Keegan had heard his father's voice and was doing his best to waddle past her, squealing "Daaa!" the whole way.

"Hey, there's my boy!" Pacey greeted enthusiastically, quickly scooping up the baby into his arms before he could even get out the doorway.

Joey smiled as she watched him throw their son in the air a couple times, evoking massive giggles from him, before settling him on his chest. She saw the awe in Pacey's eyes as he focused his complete attention on their bundle of joy. Nothing in the world could resemble the look of pride and love he was showing for his only son. It made Joey feel like the luckiest woman in the world to watch her husband with her son. He was incredible.

The little boy flashed a familiar lop-sided smile and declared, "I wanna coo-key."

Pacey smiled and turned to Joey with a questioning look. Obviously, he had learned it was best to get her opinion first before giving in to Keegan's sugar demands.

"But you already had a cookie, Ry," she answered, moving to readjust his shirt which had been twisted during his flight in Pacey's arms.

Keegan smiled mischievously and turned back to the parent who was slightly weaker to the bright twinkle in his deep, ocean-blue eyes. "Coo-key, Daa."

Pacey hesitated, knowing he shouldn't give in, but unable to resist that familiar lop-sided grin, he caved and gave Joey his own pleading expression.

"Please Mom?" he said in a child-like voice, giving her a pout.

"Oh god…" she groaned, rolling her eyes in mock disgust. "Not you, too. Must I be the only responsible parent here?"

Pacey smiled and quickly pecked her lips. "A man needs his daily dose of sweets, Jo. You should know this by now."

Joey raised an eyebrow and lowered her voice to a dangerous tempo, "I know what _other_ daily needs a man has too, so you better be careful if you want _that_ particular quota filled today, Mr. Witter."

"Yes Ma'am," he answered sarcastically, kissing her cheek this time.

"Let's go get some cookies, Ry, before she changes her mind."

Joey rolled her eyes again when she heard him say in a low voice. "And women will change their minds quite often… So you best get used to that."

"Hey I heard that!"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Pacey laid in bed with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, while he waited for Joey to come back to bed. It was a particularly plain ceiling – an off white color with those obnoxious bumps covering the surface. He wondered if he stared at it hard enough he would be able to completely erase the images in his mind of what Christopher had done with his wife all those years ago. Or maybe even forget the small emptiness that crept into her eyes whenever he asked about her work with him.

That's what had happened just a few moments ago. She had just crawled into bed, looking incredibly sexy in her pj's, when he decided to ask her about her day. Everything was fine until he mentioned work. She tensed, ever so slightly, almost unnoticeably, but because he knew her so well, he caught it. When she did answer it was brief with a simple "fine."

Unsatisfied with her basic answer, he had pressed further, asking specifically about her work with Christopher. This question created a more pronounced reaction in her.

First, she looked down and away from him, biting her lip – an innate reaction that meant she was nervous. Then, when she did look up at him, the warmth in her beautiful brown eyes was gone. A darker, more shielded brown took its place. And when she did finally answer, she mumbled the word "okay" so fast that he hardly caught it, before excusing herself to go to the bathroom.

So now, here he lay alone, connecting one dot on the ceiling to another, wondering what was creating this reaction in her.

Was it guilt? Was it fear? What was it about Christopher that bothered her so much that she couldn't even look at him when he asked about him?

Then he thought back to his conversation this morning with Gretchen. Maybe he _was_ overreacting to this situation. After all, talking about one of your exes with your current life partner wouldn't exactly make a person relax and be comfortable… He should know. Audrey was still a touchy subject that he'd rather leaved buried deep in the backyard with all their other uncomfortable subjects. In fact, just thinking about her made him feel uneasy.

He inwardly shuddered thinking about their first few days on _Devotion_ as husband and wife when Audrey had created that rift between them. He never wanted to revisit those days ever again. Maybe that's how she felt about Christopher too. The only difference this time was that she had to work with him.

Yes… More than likely that was what was causing her tense reaction when he said Christopher's name. Besides, if she was still in love with Christopher, he highly doubted that she would have been participating in the activities they were engaged in these past few weeks. She was a woman who couldn't make love to a man unless said love was part of the equation. A fact that he was truly thankful for.

He heard the door open and let his eyes wonder to her silhouette drifting towards the bed. She crawled onto her side without any words and turned to face him. Her arms were wrapped around her pillow, instead of his chest, something he took notice of right away.

"Sorry about that, Pace…" she whispered. "My stomach is a little uneasy."

"Oh... no problem," he answered, taking her hand, and bringing it to his lips. "So, next Saturday is the Grand Opening at our restaurant in Maine and I would really like for my wife to be there."

Joey smiled and scooted closer to Pacey. "Of course, Sweetheart. Why wouldn't I go?"

"Well, I just didn't know if you had any plans at work that weekend." _Or rather with Christopher,_ he thought. His jaw clenched.

She shook her head, "Nope. I'll be there. I can't wait to see how much Mathew and Sophie have grown since the last time we've seen them."

He couldn't stand the small gap that was between them any longer and put his arm around her, nudging her body tight against his skin.

"Yeah… I think Sophie may have a little thing for our Keegan."

Joey's lips pursed briefly before she shook her head. "No. She likes to dress him up in her dresses too much for any romance to bloom between them."

Pacey grinned, "That's how it all starts, Jo. Dresses here, kisses there." He pressed his lips to the crook of her neck and worked his way up towards her ear.

Joey shook her head. "No. Dawson and I used to play dress up. Trust me, Pacey… there is a difference."

"Hmmm," he hummed against her skin, making her shiver. "You don't think you'd like Sophie as our future daughter-in-law?"

Joey's breath caught in her throat as he gently bit her ear. "No.. no… I –uh, love Sophie. I just think that there is nothing there. No chemistry… God Pacey, would you stop doing that. I can't think when you're doing that."

Pacey smiled victoriously and pecked her nose, cheeks, and chin with subtle kisses. "Better?"

"Much," she mused, placing her hands on his well defined shoulders. "I think that Keegan is enough like his daddy that he'll end up throwing sand in his future wife's hair and pushing her down on the playground."

"_Ouch_. Sounds painful."

Joey smirked, "It is."

Pacey gazed down at her with overwhelming affection before leaning down to take possession of Joey's lips. He moved them gently with hers, stroking her arms ever so lightly, before deepening the kiss.

"Mmm," she moaned into his mouth as he grabbed the back of her thigh and lifted it to wrap around his waist.

"Pacey," she breathed heavily. "I… I'm…"

He stopped kissing her and gazed down at her, "What?"

Her eyes held the gleam he had been looking for earlier. Something deep was glistening inside her as he waited for her to answer. She hesitated.

"Sweetheart, what is it?"

"I- uh… I love you Pace."

He smiled and stroked her cheek with his hand, "I love you too, Jo."

She lifted her head up to meet his and began kissing him again.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


End file.
